Dark Waters
by dtechie84
Summary: Matthew served honorably they told him. Now with one good leg and an ass load of pain, he's trying to get it together. Everything has been nice and quite...until he has to save a female huntress not from this world. It just spirals out of control for him from there. He will soon learn that the fight never ends, but somethings are worth fighting for.
1. Chapter 1

**AN**: So I already have one story that I am working on and I also have a LOTR story as well…BUT I have had this one rolling around in the back of my truck for a while. I call it my red light story because I jot things in my notebook while I'm sitting at the insanely long red lights in my city. The main character is actually based on some of me and a few experiences that I have had in my life. What's real and what's a part of the story will remain a mystery, as we all have our burdens to bear. I also decided to publish it because a new acquaintance of mine on fanfic is having a bit of a rough spot right now and I hope this can offer some distraction for her. I hope you enjoy it Mrs. T. Well enough blathering. Enjoy….I hope.

Disclaimer…I don't own anything from AvP or Predator. It's all just for fun and therapy.

**Chapter 1 It could always be worse**

The pain was almost unbearable. The throbbing, burning, tearing sensation seemed to want to shut his brain down and drown him in a sea of darkness. He could taste the metallic tang of his own blood mixed with the dirt and leaves of the forest floor.

"Well this just fucking sucks" he growled

Trying to push himself up on his elbows to get an idea of the damage; Matthew tried not to vomit from the sudden burst of pain. He couldn't help but chuckle with dark humor as he realized that he was probably going to pass out and most likely die in his own back yard. All be it a very large backyard….. One thousand square miles of mountains and forest in the middle of a state park in Colorado backyard to be exact.

With a great heave of strength Mat pulled himself up to sit against the massive fir tree that had stopped his fall…abruptly. Looking at the mangled mess of steel and plastic that had been the brace that encased his knee he began to work on controlling his breathing. Going through the systematic checks for injury that he had learned from his years in the military he realized aside from his knee and some cuts and scrapes that he was mainly whole and uninjured. Looking up at the roughly twenty foot ravine that he had fallen into he was surprised at the limited damage.

It had been a routine hike, the same path, at the same time that he walked every day for the past two years. After his release from the army hospital; the doctors had insisted that he exercise as much as possible. So Mat packed up his life and moved from the deep south state of Alabama and moved north to Colorado. When he arrived he found himself buying a small piece of land and a cabin butted up against the state park. He was alone and that's the way he wanted it.

"Well you're not dying Mat" he muttered to himself "So stop fucking off and let's get home"

Gritting his teeth Mat pulled himself up to wobble on his good leg. After several attempts and some very colorful language he gave up trying to crawl back up to the path and decided to follow the stream that he knew wound around to the back side of his property…eventually.

As he slowly picked his way down the slippery rocks the hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end. The whole reason he had fallen in the first place had returned, it had drawn his attention to the lush green canopy above him. Not paying attention he had walked off the path into the brush and then over the steep drop.

Sliding to his left Mat crouched into the ferns by the stream, ignoring the sudden pang of heat in his scarred knee….he was being watched.

* * *

The hunter trilled in mild amusement. Making its way along the lip of the ravine where the ooman had fallen. Now it watched as he began limping down the small waterway, when suddenly he hunched into the thick vegetation.

Switching to the thermal view on its mask the hunter tracked his movements. With a side cock of its head it watched him scan the ridge line. This ooman was getting more interesting the longer it was watched.

The hunter had been on the blue planet for almost eight cycles now. After having been ambushed by the same bad bloods that it and its mei-jadhi had come to hunt, the two hunters had been separated. Alone and unsure of the whereabouts of its companion the yautja had traveled across the harsh wilderness looking for an area to signal for help.

**_Only to stumble across this very strange male ooman. _**It mused.

All though very well built physically and obviously very intuitive. He was deemed unworthy prey due the obvious defect to his right leg. The strange apparatus that supported his leg seemed to also hinder it as he would drag it slightly at times.

But as the hunter had settled on a branch to wait for him to pass he had suddenly stopped and looked almost directly at its hiding perch. The hunter tensed, in that moment believing itself to be spotted, and prepared to leap on him. Then the male just continued walking still scanning the tree line. That's when he had plummeted over the steep slope.

The hunter trilled at the memory of the interesting language he had used as he slide and fell down the embankment. Oomans were such colorful creatures! It decided to follow him a ways as he made his way down the waterway. That's when for a second time the hunter felt that it had given itself away when the ooman suddenly crouched into the leafy plants beside the stream. He sat there for several moments watching the top of the ravine before grumbling some more colorful phrases and moving on.

**_He has a very strong hunter's sense! He can feel my presence! _**

It took almost the entire cycle for the male to return to its shelter. The sun had begun to set behind the mountains when he had finally stumbled up onto the front overhang, called a porch or some such nonsense. Though colorful the ooman's language was a tiring affair with far too many words to express such simple things.

Scanning the clearing around the shelter the hunter decided that the cycle hadn't been entirely wasted on its silly fascination with the ooman.

**_This will make a good place to rest and signal the clan ship for assistance. _**

It would also allow the hunter to observe this ooman a little longer. With that thought it leaped into one of the large trees that surrounded the shelter and settled in for some rest.

* * *

Mat collapsed on his bed, he was exhausted and very sore. This day had not gone anything like he had hoped it would. He was a creature of habit and today had screwed that all up.

Besides the obvious discomfort of the unexpected detour he still couldn't shake the feeling that something had been behind him the whole way. Any army ranger with any field experience worth anything could tell you when something didn't feel right. You learned to have a sixth sense about those things…..or you died. Your six o'clock was your weak spot. Today there was defiantly something on him! Also he could swear that he had seen movement in the trees in the front yard when he had finished cleaning up that afternoon as well.

"Sure as hell wasn't a wolf or mountain lion" he grumbled sleepily "I'll go back tomorrow and sniff around a bit."

**_And now I talk to myself! _** He thought sarcastically before slipping into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 It Just Got Worse**

Mat woke with a startled jerk and promptly regretted it. The adventures from the day before hit like a freight train as his body screamed out in agony. He could feel the swelling in his knee before he even bothered to look. Flipping back the blankets and looking down just confirmed it. The joint was purple and green with heavy bruising and it was swollen so bad that it fought against the restraint of the new brace he had put on the night before. Groaning loudly he slide out of the bed and limped into the bathroom, hoping that a warm soak would help, and turned on the water of the tub. Getting the temperature the way he wanted he turned back and hobbled into the living room to stoke the fire. The sun was still several hours from rising and the late autumn chill had crept into the cabin.

Once everything was to his liking he set out around the house to investigate why he woke up in the first place. Something just didn't feel right as he made his way through each room. Nothing looked out of place and all of the doors and windows were locked…but it still felt like his space had been invaded. It was as if someone had just been in each room right before he walked into it.

"I. Am. Losing. My. Damn. Mind!" he yelled into the ceiling.

Scrubbing his hand through his hair and across his face he walked back through the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot before his soak.

* * *

The hunter finally let out a slow breath.

**Pauk that was close! **

It was standing in the ooman's food preparation area, tucked into a corner cloaked and frozen.

The chill in the air outside had become uncomfortable so the hunter decided to go into the ooman's shelter and poke about a bit. The added benefit of the fire was just a perk. The creature had been paruseing one the rooms with pictures of the ooman when it heard the sound of one of the doors open. Creeping from room to room the two had played circles around the house, the hunter barely slipping out of a room right as the male would walk into it. Had he been a few seconds faster in turning on the lights he would have noticed a shimmer, like a heat wave sliding from the room. He had been close enough to touch when they had finally ended the dance. And now the machine he had turned on was producing a horrible stench from some black liquid it gurgled out

**Pauk-de enough of this! I need to get my ****c'jit **together and concentrate! The yautja chastised itself before slipping out of the door and using its tools to lock it back. A very handy trick picked up from oomans of all places.

* * *

After his long soak and some serious stretching, Mat went about his routine for the day. Even though he was sore and slightly grumpy there were things that he had to get done. Wood needed to be split and the water system needed to be winterized. Eventually he would have to make a trip into town to pick up some last minute supplies before the first snow fell making it difficult to drive out of the valley that he lived in.

That last chore left him even grumpier. The folks that lived in Cold Water were polite enough. Mat just really didn't like people all that much. When he had been injured and ultimately released from the military he had tried to settle down back in Birmingham. The large crowds and noise of the city made him nervous. Plus with the eventual addiction to the pain killers and then his foray into alcoholism only made his tension worse.

The booze and drugs had alienated him from what was left of his family and friends and he found himself drowning in his own personal hell. After a particularly close call one night on his Harley, nearly killing himself and a lady standing at a bus stop, he was court ordered to a clinic in Maui. The first weeks still made him shudder the seizures and sickness lasted for hours at a time and left him a hallow husk lying on the bathroom floor every night for nearly a month.

When he finally kicked it all he had been released back into the world. With no job and no idea what to do with himself he had patched up his relationship with his mom and sister and headed north, looking to remove any temptation and distance himself from a world that he no longer belonged to, winding up on the small piece of property in the middle of nowhere in Colorado. It suited him fine. No phone, T.V., internet, or local corner store to buy a bottle of Jim Beam. He found himself content with it all as he stopped for a break from the woodpile and took in the forest around him and the mountains rising like ancient guardians in the distance.

**It's nice and quiet here…simple ** he mused sitting on the porch to munch on a pear.

As he listened to the wilderness around punctuated by the crunch of his snack he planned his trip into town for the next day. It was getting dark and he didn't like the idea of driving the path in the night's deep glum. He got up to go in for a soak when he froze at the door. The forest had gone silent around him…..

It was the kind of silence when you knew that an alpha predator had entered the area and all the inhabitants where hiding for fear of being the target. As he swiveled on his feet to scan the tree line a long low howl pierced the gloom of dusk

"Sounds like something was caught down at the streambed" he muttered aloud "Mother Nature at work"

With a sigh and small feeling of pity for whatever had met its end trying to get a drink Mat turned to go inside. The shrieking and growling returned louder and more intense.

"The fuck is that!"

Mat couldn't remember ever hearing the particular sounds before and he had become very comfortable with the noise of the wildlife vying for survival.

**That sounds like talking! ** Or something like it.

With a shake of his head Mat reached inside the cabin and grasped his twelve gauge Mossberg that lived by the front door. Loaded with four slugs he kept it close to dissuade the bear and mountain lions that sometimes got too curious.

"So much for quite dammit." He growled as he began walking towards the source of the sounds.

* * *

Matthew sat in silent shock. Crouched against a tree in the dark he couldn't believe what he was looking at. He had made his way to the back side of his land and picked his way to the clearing that surrounded the stream babbling across his back yard. When he had approached the water he could hear guttural barks and some sort of trilling along with the sounds of fighting. He had reacted instantly all of his training singing through his nerve endings as he dropped into a low crawl. Ignoring the complaining coming from his knee as he slide along the cool wet grass. Reaching a good vantage point he was dumbfounded at what he found.

Standing in the clearing was the largest person he had ever seen. The, what he assumed was a man, thing was easily eight and a half feet tall and dark skinned. It wore some sort of body armor and had a huge set of blades extended from the gauntlet at his wrist, its face was covered by an archaic looking mask made of the same dark metal as his chest piece. Dark dreadlocks spilled out from under it and fell to his shoulders. It was huge!

The massive creature however wasn't the target of Mat's attention. Lying on its back in the stream was a smaller version of the creature. A bright glowing green fluid leaked from several puncture wounds and slashes along its body….**That's blood! ** He realized.

The prone creature/person began growling and clicking at the tall tank of flesh standing over it. The big one responded with a huge kick to its stomach sending it sliding across the wet stones of the creek. Mat winced at the sound of the impact. Something about the situation didn't sit well with him as the big one stomped over and grabbed shorty by the throat lifting the feebly struggling thing up to eye level. This wasn't right…the short one could barely hold up its head.

With a resigned sigh "Well Matthew…..let's do it" he murmured.

With a new sense of purpose the ex-ranger began to make his way into the clearing. Keeping low in the grass he was a ghost. All of his senses peaked…this is what he lived for, what he was good at. Stalking his prey.

* * *

Everything had happened so quickly! The hunter had never heard or even smelled the bad blood that had somehow managed slip past the sensors that it had placed before attempting to bathe in the frigid ju'dha. It had been almost twelve cycles since the hunter had groomed properly and its skin had begun to itch fiercely. The long locks that ran from its head had not molted properly and the yautja was beginning to offend itself with its own body odor. The bad blood had waited until it was at its most vulnerable before attacking. Unarmed and unclothed it had little chance and had been overwhelmed quickly. The only thing left was to spit insults at the filth. Weak from hunger and the colder temperatures the hunter prepared itself to go to the dark warrior. But that final journey was not to be. As the despicable c'jit ic'jit was drawing its blade a loud mechanical chunk-chunk sound drew their attention to the left. Much to both hunters surprise there stood the male ooman with one of the their projectile weapons aimed nearly point black at the taller yautja.

"How do asshole" the small male stated simply.

The small hunter couldn't help the laughter that tittered out of its throat.

"I believe you are pauk-de you worthless filth" the hunter wheezed

The large bad blood reacted as was expected…stupidly. He reared back in an attempt to catch the ooman in the throat. The boom of the weapon was so close and loud, the short one squeezed its eyes closed form the pressure. Falling into the water shocked it back into reality in time to watch the bad bloods head pop like a squeezed fruit. As darkness swallowed it, its last thoughts were amazed that an ooman had come to its aid.

* * *

"Awww man that's just fuckin' nasty!"

Mat was covered in the green goop of what was left of the big bastard's head. The brain matter and gore covered everything around them when its head had popped like a watermelon on a hot day. Shorty had fallen back into the water and the now headless bastard lay at Mat's feet. They both smelled terrible now he was this close; like BO and some sort of musky odor and the little one was still bleeding profusely.

Still hyped up on instinct and adrenalin Mat rushed over to shorty's still form. Dropping to his knee in the cold water he rolled the creature over and fell back on his rear in surprise. The face was the strangest thing he had ever seen with deep set eyes and long brow line. It had a set of lower and upper mandibles framing its mouth….well the hole lined with sharp teeth. The skin black as night, but the most arresting feature was the well-formed breast. Mat just sat in quite shock not even noticing his hands pressing down on the things wounds, the green blood oozing from between his fingers.

"You're a chick!" the dumbstruck man chirped "I have an alien chick!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter3 Meet the Parents**

Mat sighed heavily, standing to stretch his stiff back and legs. He had been up all night working on his "guest". Though he was no doctor he had a good hand at stitching and first aid. The female looked like a freight train had hit her. Mat was amazed that she was still breathing. A deep set of slashes ran up her left ribcage and ended just under the curve of her breast, there were several deep puncture wounds to her stomach and he was certain her right arm was broken. He tackled the slash first as it was the most serious...and the most uncomfortable since he had to handle her naked chest to get to it. The punctures and arm were fairly simple to handle with some bandages and a homemade splint. The hard part had been getting her cleaned up. Once he had gotten over the initial shock of it all he had really looked at her. She was not a small girl! At roughly six foot five and around two ninety it was a very interesting rescue attempt. He tried several times to move her on his own but his injured knee wouldn't let him. After only moving her a few feet he was forced to rethink his approach. In the end, much to his embarrassment, he had limped back to the cabin and retrieved the ATV he used for heavier jobs. Dragging the huge creature behind the machine was mortifying. You didn't drag a wounded person by their arms through the brush! But it had worked and he had managed to get her inside, where the weight of her had broken his couch.

Looking at the busted piece of furniture he couldn't help but start laughing.

"Hey Mat what happened to your couch?" he mimed

"Well see what had happened was…"

He broke down into a fit of laughter.

"I need a shower and a cup of coffee" he informed the unconscious alien.

* * *

For the first time in her very long life Gahn'tha-cte felt a pang of fear. The forest in which she stood was massive. With its mountains and valleys that formed a seemingly endless labyrinth, it was a bit overwhelming.

She had been on the blue planet for three full cycles. The clan ship had received the distress signal from her offspring's mei-jadhi nearly twelve of the planets cycles ago. When the huge female had learned of her daughter's disappearance because of the bad bloods, she flew into a rage destroying the sitting room of her and her mate's quarters. With a feeling of guilt settling in her stomach she had also nearly beat her mate to death. Having pups had not been easy for Gahn'tha-cte; her body did not accept pregnancy well so all of her children were precious to her. Of all nine of them Kjuhte was the most cherished. She was the only female of all of them. The fact that she was still alive was no small miracle. She had been born tiny and was still quite small as a pup. The clan matriarch had feared her deformed and was on the verge of removing her to become an eta. When it came time for her chiva no one expected her to even comeback alive!

**They were all humiliated when _SHE_ walked form the drop ship with the skull of a queen!**

It was true; the tiny female had not only killed a kiande amedha brood queen she had assisted the arbitrators in containing the infestation when it suddenly breached the borders of the hunting grounds. Going so far as to save the Elder arbitrator who , much to Gahn-tha's surprise and swelling pride, was also her life mate and Kjuhte's sire. She trilled at the memory of the look of pride on the big male's face when he limped off the hunt ship behind his only daughter. She had had to remind him several times of were the little female's strength had come from and kept his ego in check.

Now on the still very foreign planet her child was lost! Her hunt sister had informed them that they had been separated and that their power packs were low when they had been attacked. Kjuhte's weak location signal had faded the previous day and now the young huntress was alone in the rapidly chilling wilderness with no power supply and no way to signal for help.

**I will find you my pup!**

The huntress cloaked herself and slipped into the shadows of the forest.

* * *

"Damn Mister Matthew that's a lot of meat you got there."

Mat grinned at the elderly store owner. "Well I ran a little low last year. Don't want a repeat this winter." **_And I sure as hell don't want to be on the menu when ole' girl wakes up! _**Though that information he kept to himself. Mat found himself in an unusually good mood. It was coming up on nearly two and a half weeks since his encounter with the aliens. The female was still unconscious on his living room floor, but had been showing signs of recovery. The smaller cuts and bruises had pretty much healed and the swelling in her arm was down considerably. He still had to keep an eye on its placement when she shifted in her sleep. The nasty gash on her torso had been really the cause of most of his worry. Her tough skin made stitching hard to do and the thin line broke easily under the strain of her bulk. He constantly had to check it to prevent more bleeding.

Two weeks later he was amazed at how fast her body healed itself. Today he was in Cold Water buying everything that he thought he would need for the coming winter. He went first to the small hardware store and bought everything he would need to get his water system wrapped up and picked some lumber for a repair he needed to make on the roof. Next was the sports shop to stock up on some ammo and cleaning oil for his firearms. Now he found himself in the small general store buying up almost all of the meat and vegetables in the place.

"Ohh I love it when he talks like that" The owner's daughter interrupted.

Kayla was a pretty thing though mat wasn't really interested and she was enamored with his southern accent.

With a small wink at the owner Mat laid it on thick.

"Well chere' you folks take care and keep yourselves warm" "I'll see ya in a few months"

With a deep chuckle form Keith and a long sigh from his daughter, Mat headed out to his jeep.

It seemed that it was going to be a decent winter he thought with a smile.

Suddenly he remembered something, turning back to the two.

"Hey Keith you still have that furniture catalog? I want to look into a new couch." Trying to hide the boyish smile on his face.

* * *

Everything hurt and she was hungry...very hungry. The first thoughts that came to Kjuhte as she drifted awake. But she was warm and felt relatively whole and alive...Alive!

**_I'm alive!_**

The rapid jerk turned out to be a terrible idea. Her head swam and vision blurred. With a heavy growl she lay back on the thick blankets that were her bed.

**_Where pauk-de am I?_**

Calming her first outburst she began to take stock of her environment. She was in an ooman shelter. Had she been captured? Was she to be experimented on? Her breathing became labored as a new wave of panic began to wash over her. It was a terrible dishonor to be caught by prey.

**_If yautja secrets and technology were to fall into the hands of oomans!_**

Shaking her head _Kjuhte_ calmed her breathing and started to analyze here situation. Her belongings were piled up in a corner next to her pallet, her wounds were clean and mended, and she was covered up warmly next to a crackling fire. This couldn't be a prison or holding lab. Something about the place smelled too familiar. She knew this place somehow. The sound of an engine approaching outside suddenly broke her train of thought.

**_I'm about to find out what is going on._**

The female hunter settled back into the coverings and began to relax her breathing, pretending to sleep.

* * *

Mat was particularly pleased with himself. The trip had actually been pleasant and was it nice to be around people for a few hours. After all of his errands were done and he had dropped off the letters to his mom and sister; he had even gone and had a chocolate milkshake at the diner. Socializing with some of the old timers and flirting a little with the waitress.

It all put him in a good mood. All of the rehab and moving away from the big cities seemed to be paying off.

**_I might still have a little human in me! _**He thought cheerfully as he finished putting away the last of the groceries.

**_Speaking of human…._**

He walked back into the living room to check on his patient. She had kicked off the quilts and lay sprawled in a tangled mess. A small smile quirked his lips as he went about repositioning her. Her skin at regained a lot of its coloring over the course of the past days, her body slowly replenishing the lost blood. It was dark almost black it had shine to it from a layer of sweat that had formed and his favorite part was the tiger strips of red that played down her spine wrapping around her ribs and ending at her belly. Her midsection was a lighter brown from her throat sweeping over her breasts and ending in the junction of her legs. Mat found himself admiring her features, respectfully avoiding her more private areas. Leaning over to wipe the light sheen of sweat off her face and chest he found himself talking to the prone creature.

"You know you're not that bad to look at."

"A little strange and your face is…. Well unique."

"But all and all you are sorta pretty"

**_In a wild and dangerous sort of way_** He thought.

Shaking his head wryly he finished cleaning her off and headed to the back of the house. He could do with a bit of a cleanup himself. "Hitting on an unconscious alien." He muttered as he left her to sleep.

* * *

Kjuhte's eyes popped open at the sound of running water. Staring at the ceiling she had to mull over the ooman's actions and his words. Though not easy to speak she was comfortable with several of the ooman dialects that were used, her favorite being from one of the oldest of the blue planet clans the Chinese, and she was well versed in this English.

This particular ooman was most interesting. She still didn't know what he looked like but something in his smell and the sound of his voice was terribly familiar. He had groomed her with a damp cloth and talked with himself the whole time. He was certainly strange.

**_But he does find me desirable! _** Recalling his words. **_I think it's time to meet this male._**

Docile he may be but she was taking no chances. Rising to kneel near her things she strapped on one the bladed gauntlets keeping the undamaged arm free.

**_If he reacts poorly I will have to kill him…I might have to kill him anyway._**

She didn't like that train of thought, he had been honorable in assisting the huntress and it didn't seem right to have to take his life. But still… she couldn't be sure. He knew much already. The yautja stood slowly and silently padded towards the sound of the ooman…..he had begun to sing! Something about the circle of life….this ooman just might really be insane!

* * *

Mat let his breath out with a loud whoosh, washing the soap from his face in the hot shower. The steam curling up and over the glass door filling the bathroom like a sauna and hazing his vision. Mat looked back over his day and his thoughts inevitably wondered back to the female creature lying on his living room floor. She hadn't woken up yet and that worried him a bit, perhaps there was some damage that he couldn't see?

**_I'll try waking her up tonight._**

The soft whisper of metal against metal was the only warning he got that he wasn't alone in that bathroom….and his questions were going to be answered.

**_OH Shit!_**

In less than the time it took him to think the curse Mat found himself against the wall; a dark hand reaching through the fog to grip his throat.

"Oh Shit." He managed to gasp as he felt himself being lifted from his feet.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Hey all. I hope you are enjoying the ride. Did everyone have a good Memorial Day weekend? I did, crawfish + beer=good day. Much love to all of my brothers and sisters in uniform. Hooah! Enjoy. Review please!

**Chapter 4** **The Way of Things**

"All right god dammit! Enough!" Matt heaved the debris of what was once his coffee table off of his chest. He might have overreacted a tad, looking over at the alien female naked and splayed across the kitchen floor. Things had been tense to start when she had grabbed him like some ninja coming out of the mist while he had been showering. But when she had stepped into the small space of the shower her large very nude body had pressed against him. When she started huffing and trilling at him he reacted to the invasion of his personal bubble. It was instinct really….but looking back he realized be probably shouldn't have kneed her in the stomach. The impact to her still sensitive stitches made her roar in his face and double over. She proceeded to toss him like a rag doll from the bathroom into his bedroom. Thirty minutes of grappling, screaming, yelling, growling, and pretty much beating the holy hell out of each other commenced.

Now they both lay on their respective side of the cabin gasping for breath. Mat started laughing like a madman. It had been years since he had been in a good fight! A good brawl it had been to, he had used everything he knew to grapple with the woman! Continuing to laugh he sat up and held his hands in the air. "I'm done…you win"

* * *

Kjuhte had to admit she was impressed. The ooman had put up and incredible fight. She knew that she was weakened from lack of sustenance, but even still she should have been able to best the much smaller and defective male. It had been like fighting with the tail of a kiande amedha writhing about and slipping out of her grasp. She could never seem to get a strong grip on him and he would retaliate with a series of punishing strikes to the sensitive areas of her underarms and neck. For a cripple he was damn fast! After an exhausting fight he now lay across from her telling her she had won.

**_Oh you haven't seen a win yet ooman._**

Bunching the muscles in her legs she prepared her trap. With an almost silent whoosh of air she had righted herself and pounced. "OH CRAP!" where the oomans only words when he noticed her sailing through the air at him. Landing atop him she growled in his face bringing her wrist blade to his throat.

"Win….Now…..Ooman." she trilled at the look of shock on his face.

"You…you speak English!" he barked blinking owlishly at her.

With a loud chuff she stood and backed away from him. "Not….ignorant…ooman"

"No…no… I didn't mean it that way." Holding up his hands in a placating gesture "It just surprised me is all."

"Not…Stupid…Animal…Ooman she was getting very insulted at his brash insults and ignorance.

"Look I'm not trying to insult you here" he pleaded to her "It's not like I have ever met anything like you before."

Mat was completely dumbfounded. Sitting in..well… what was left of his living room haveing a conversation with ,up until a half hour before, what had been anunconscious alien. The fact that she spoke his language was surprising until he realized that he was truly insulting her.

**_Of course she can speak English..dumbass she's an alien_**.**_ She probably knows a ton of shit!_**

A deep growl began to rumble from her when he realized that he was staring at her. Looking away suddenly he remembered that they were both completely naked. With a heavy grunt he pulled himself up to limp into the bedroom.

"I'm going to put some clothes on." He felt the need to explain, just in case she got truly violent. She stood still her eyes never leaving the man as he shuffled across the room.

'Uhm.. I'll be back in a few." Mat almost whispered. He felt his face warming at her scrutiny. The mood in the room had changed from what felt almost like a friendly rivalry to …something different. He noticed a strange smell filling the air…it was kind of like vanilla bean. Not the perfume junk you get at stores to hide the smell of your crapper. It reminded him of the jar of raw vanilla that his mom used to keep for baking, earthy and sweet with some spice to it.

Back in the bathroom he decided to attempt another shower. His head seemed kind of fuzzy and he found himself remembering the alien's naked body shining with sweat from the wrestling match and that strange scent…that he realized was coming from her! Shaking his head he was surprised that he was slightly aroused. Growling at himself he started scrubbing with the soapy rag a little more aggressively than necessary.

* * *

Kjuhte had to consciously control her breathing. The sparring match had been much more entertaining then she thought it would be. But as the two had begun to settle down things…changed. The unexpected situation in which she found herself unsettled the normally grounded huntress. The ooman had started to insult her acting surprised at her ability to speak his tongue.

**_Of course I can you idiot hulij-bpe ooman! I'm at least three times your age!_**

She clicked in annoyance at his brash ignorance.

**_ I should really pauk with him and use some of the other dialects I know!_**She mused with a deep chuckle.

The moments that followed sobered her mood instantly, because then the silly ooman male began to stare at her again. She wasn't sure if he even realized that his eyes were roaming across her nude body. Her infernal female instincts began to make the situation even more uncomfortable by pumping pheromones into the air and she had begun to pant heavily as it became apparent that he had noticed her bodies attempt at an invitation. Had his attentions really aroused her need to breed? She had to admit that it had been a long time…a very long time… since she had been rutted. Her unusually short build had branded her as unusual, strange even, something that was not easily accepted amongst her people. Mating seasons were always a personal nightmare for her as the clan ship filled with the smells and sound of in season females and males in the rut. It was torture!

**_Not by a ooman though!...never!_**

Giving herself a hard shake she decided to busy herself by cleaning up the mess they had made while the ooman finished…with whatever he was doing.

* * *

Mat found himself once again surprised when he walked back into the living room. Everything was clean, the damaged furniture gone and all of the scattered items placed on shelves. Scanning the room he found his house guest walking along the far wall with her hands tucked behind her back. She appeared to be browsing the pictures and odds and ends he had collected over the years, studying each one as if in some museum. She had thankfully put on some clothing, though the small leather kilt and leather "sports bra" didn't leave much for the imagination.

"How are your stiches?" he asked

She just shrugged "Small…Not… setg'in"

Mat had to pause at that last. **_That must be her language._** It was odd, a series of clicks and trills with the shadowing of words behind them. Her use of English was actually pretty good though she had a tendency to over enunciate each word.

"you." her voice brought his attention back to her.

Walking over to the picture she had fixated on "what's that….oh yeah that's me" She had settled on a photo of his old unit, they were posed in front of a stryker assault vehicle. Remembering that it was taken a few days before all hell broke loose and he had ended up crippled, he sighed heavily. Wondering over to his lazy-boy and plopping down.

The female cocked her head as if confused taking the picture gently in her clawed hands and peering closer at it then back at him.

"You..Are..Warrior" she seemed even more baffled

"Sorta…well I used to be" Mat replied bitterly "Until this shit" tapping the metal brace attached to his joint.

The female alien made a soft churring sound. Walking over to the man she bent at the waist and ran the pads of her fingers softly over the damaged leg and looked back at the picture.

"I used to be in the army, a ranger to be exact. The unit I was in specialized in infiltration. We would sneak in and deal with…..well bad people. We were on a hunt, as we called them, when we were ambushed…..most of my teammates were killed or ended up like me" Mat found himself staring out of the window bleakly and noticed with dark humor that it had begun to rain.

**_How fitting._**

Looking back at his companion he thought of something that made him laugh out loud.

"I just realized that I have been telling you my sad sob story and I still don't know your name. I'm Matthew though everyone calls me Mat"

* * *

Kjuhte was taken aback by his sudden change of subject. She realized that this male had much more to him then she originally thought. He had been a warrior once and a hunter of dangerous prey. Then this attack from his opponents ended that with the destruction of his hunt brothers and his physical mobility. Yet here he sat still pushing on with his life and asking what her name was like he didn't even notice the twisted and scarred joint attached to him. But she could almost taste the hurt that this subject caused.

Placing a hand on her chest she nodded towards him

"I…Am …Kjuhte…Huntress…of…Lar'ja ju'dha…clan" she waited patiently as Mat rolled the name around on his tongue until he had it close. Her curiosity at the meaning of his name got the better of her. "Why..are you named for…floor coverings?"

It took Mat a moment to understand her meaning, when it dawned on him he burst into laughter. "You mean why am I named after a floor mat?" holding his sides from mirth "It's just a shortened version of my full name. Humans do that sometimes."

The huntress found the humor in her question and fell into her own fit of rasping laughter. After a moment the two settled and silence fell over the room…they realized at the same time that her hand was still resting on his injured leg.

* * *

Mat once again felt his face flush; he also once again couldn't help but stare as he noticed her lighter colored neck and the just visible V of her breast darken. His eyes slide up to take in her deep lavender eyes.

**_She can blush!_**

Clearing his throat Mat stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"I imagine you're extremely hungry." Trying to diffuse the rather awkward moment.

She only nodded.

"Well how about I show you how to use the tub and while you bathe I'll get something cooked up."

Kjuhte nodded her head vigorously.

"Right…well…uh…let me show you how it all works then." He replied walking towards the bathroom.

After a quick tutorial on the wonders of human indoor plumbing Kjuhte was settled into a steaming, barely big enough, garden tub with a variety of clay pots and jars she had pulled from her packs scattered around the rim.

Mat made his way back into the kitchen to start dinner, leaving the female to enjoy a little peace and quiet. Amazed about how quickly he had just let her slide into his space.

He decided on some thickly sliced pork chops, taking four out to season. With that some boiled potatoes, steamed broccoli, and homemade biscuits finished off the menu. Mat found himself humming as he worked the dough and prepared the meal. It had been a long time since he had shared dinner with someone and the idea of having some company was actually appealing to him. He stopped suddenly as he rationalized his thoughts. She was a somebody, a woman in a shitty situation.

**_Life gives you crap and you deal with it. This is how she is dealing with it…..by not cutting my heart out. _** Laughing out loud at his morbid humor he returned to the meal. The fact that his life never seemed to be willing to let him have a semi normal day amazed him still.

**_ That's just the way of things I suppose._**

* * *

Kjuhte settled back into the hot water with a loud exhale. She could feel the days of grime and sweat rinsing off. She had to empty the tub twice before the hot water stayed clear and clean.

Matthew had tried to keep her clean while she had been under but nothing compared to the cleaning agents the yautja used. After several lather sessions she was finally satisfied with her current state of hygiene. Yautja were a meticulous groomers constantly soaking and grooming to prevent any stray parasites or sickness, from the many foreign planets they visited, to set on them.

Finally clean she decided to soak some and let the old and itchy skin slough off. Absent mindedly grooming the cuticles of her locks she lost herself in the events of the past cycles. Paya must truly have been looking out for her. In all purity she should be amongst her ancestors right now. She knew that had she been left out in that clearing exposed to the cold and bleeding she would have died.

Laughing deeply she thought about the fortunate appearance of her great warrior champion. The limping, cursing and obviously jaded ooman had taken everything she thought about his people and dumped it upside her own head. She knew that for the most part he was an exception to the rules. But the fact that oomans like him did exist made her rethink everything she believed. He was strong even with his deformity and bleak outlook. There was a deep sense of honor in him. He only spoke when he had things to say and his dry often times dark humor made him a companionable comrade. She knew very little about this male and found herself wanting to learn more.

**_He must have family…a clan. I'm sure he has some amazing hunt stories to tell. There is more to his past then what he is willing to tell.  
_**

Perhaps her being trapped here wasn't all that bad. Her bearer had always told her that Paya gave all of her children a purpose and it was up to them to find out what it was.

Perhaps this was to be one of her purposes. To learn more of this intelligent prey species, maybe there was more to them than just being prey. She would eventually get home, back to her family and clan. But until then she would learn , she would watch and she would understand. You have to take what is given and survive.

**_After all that is the way of things. _** She thought closing her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **Hello folks. I'm sorry about the delay on an update. I like to reread my work several times and edit, edit, edit. Unfortunately I lost my job, thanks to the ever shitty world of money and budgets. So I have been on the hunt for another. Anyway enough of my sob story how does everyone like the story so far? I have received some good reviews. I hope to hear more and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Let me know what you think of my two favorite characters. I have had them floating around for years and now I hope I can do them justice.

**Chapter 5 Meeting the Parents**

Gahn'tha-cte growled in annoyance. It was cold here and it was really starting to piss her off. It didn't help that she was coming into season and her hormones were starting to really rile her up, making her particularly impatient and rather destructive.

**_An entire lunar cycle and still nothing!_**

The huge female had begun systematically searching the forest and surrounding wilderness. Spiraling out from the location she had chosen as a campsite. Her ship was sent to orbit the planets moon while she hunted. It wouldn't do to have her ship stolen while she was out looking for her child. She had setup camp in a cluster of rocks near a stream bed where she could keep warm in the cursed planet's cold season. The only other being close was a male ooman living alone in a shelter a cycles walk away. He was no threat and seemed to be defective anyway. The strange structure on his leg saw to that.

Rubbing her hands over the small space heater she tried to decide if she would embrace her offspring when she found her or beat her into the next life.

**_No coms, no tracking signal…nothing!_**

She knew that it wasn't the female's fault. If her power supply was out and her equipment damaged then she would be concentrating on surviving at the moment. But it didn't make the frustrated mother feel any better. The rumbling of her aggravation vibrated off of the stone surrounding her.

**_By paya I'm horny!_**

On top of her body betraying her she would soon run out of resources, her power supplies were drying up and she would need to leave the planet soon. The big female rubbed her hands across her face and hunched closer to her heat source. She found her thoughts wondering to her home on the clan ship, her mate and her children. She longed to feel her male throw her against a wall or to dominate her onto the bed they shared. She wanted to sit and have a meal with all of her offspring, listen to her young males regale her with exploits of their hunts.

Chuckling to herself.

She even missed listening to Kjuhte prattle on about some new interesting fact she had learned that cycle.

**_Gets that from her sire she does._**

Lei'Tuk was always on the prowl for some new bit of knowledge. Had he not been so good at hunting bad bloods he would certainly be an excellent scientist. That trait of infinite curisoty he had passed on to several of their offspring. Her male had never done anything spectacular in his long life but he was strong and honorable. He had claimed the heads of several of the worst bad bloods in the history of their clan. He had also made it a point to pursue her without fail every season…even after it was made known that she was not a strong pup bearer. She grew to hold great affection towards the stubborn young male and eventually agreed to be life mated with him.

**_If he were here we would have found her already._** She thought darkly…they were always successful as a hunt pair.

As if by some cosmic cue a deep rumbling purr filled the rocky space from outside of her shelter. Jumping to her feet the huge huntress prepared herself for combat only to have the wind taken from her by the large male that stepped into the hollow. He wore the full black armor of an elder arbitrator.

"Lei'Tuk!"

"Sei-I my mate the last I checked that indeed was still my name" he responded trilling at his own joke.

"Why have you come my mate?" she retorted dryly.

"In purity I do not enjoy being from your side for too long…..it _has_ been too long Gahn'tha-cte."

"I will not leave without her!" the female growled.

Her mate chuffed "Of course not sun of my path" "We have already picked up the trail"

"We?"

Lei'Tuk gestured over his shoulder where two more males could be seen standing watch.

They were two of their sons. For the first time in a considerable time the female felt sure.

**_Good now we can truly hunt…and get off of this sinkhole!_**

"It pleases me that you are here with our offspring my mate…but let them go ahead for some time I have a pressing task for you to complete" quirking her eyebrow as she approached her male, huffing in his familiar scent.

Lei'Tuk's mandibles gaped open when his mate strode forward and shoved him forcefully in the chest. He couldn't help the pleasurable shudder when she leaned into him. "I have missed feeling you in me, filling me" she whispered huskily.

* * *

"Will you stop doing that!"

Mat had himself wedged in a corner in the bathroom of his cabin. "K" as he had started calling her, so he didn't insult her with his poor pronunciation, had once again cornered the naked human. The two unlikely housemates had fallen into a peaceful routine over the past weeks. That peace however exposed Mat to Kjuhte's unbridled curiosity. She started just simply observing his day to day activities even joining him on his morning walks. Mat would stop and laugh when she would let a stream of questions just flow from her mouth. He tried to answer as often as he could but he found it difficult to keep up at times, he wasn't used to talking so much.

All in all he didn't mind…until she started getting touchy.

* * *

Kjuhte just couldn't get a handle on this ooman. She couldn't seem to get him to understand that she merely wished to observe and understand him better. He seemed amiable to her questions and she had to admit she enjoyed their short and informative conversations. She even enjoyed his dry cut sense of humor. But the previous day she had decided to learn more about his physical structuring, she figured since he already seemed tired form their walk she would refrain from questioning him further.

So she had simply followed him into the grooming room and observed him without his coverings on. Now that she thought about it he did seem a little uncomfortable. But when she startled him by handling his reproductive organ she thought his head would explode!

Now he was acting like a small flying creature trying to find an open…**_what was the word again?_**

"Please stop staring at me like that!"

Kjuhte snapped up to the ooman's now very flushed face.

"I…Mean…No…Harm" she growled

"So you fondle my junk and then you stare at me like I'm what's for dinner…but you don't intend to harm me!" he was practically imploding now.

The huntress threw her hands in the air "Pauk de oomans!"

Turning on her heels she strode from the room.

* * *

Mat found himself standing naked, alone and cupping himself. For some reason he couldn't figure out he felt slightly guilty about yelling at "K". He wasn't offended so much by her attention but the encroachment on his personal bubble made him feel claustrophobic…and when she had groped him he found himself slightly aroused.

Growling at himself he threw on some clothes and stalked into the living room. K was sitting close to the fireplace flipping through one of his national geographic magazines.

**_Is she pouting!?_**

"Look "K" I'm sorry I didn't mean to yell"

The female simply turned her back to him.

"I'm serious…"sighing "I just have a space issue with other people"

"You…Should…Say…Things" she growled swiveling to glare at him.

"I know…I know. I'm not used to communicating with others and… well I suck at it"

"Yes…You…Suck" she had no idea what that meant but it sounded appropriate.

"But you have to admit that walking in on me bathing and poking at me is a bit much" he replied dryly. "I mean I ain't some monkey in a zoo for people to gawk at….are you laughing at me?"

The huntress trilled "You…Are…Ooman"

"Yeah…so?"

"You…Are…Monkey" she continued making a sound that reminded Mat of gravel falling down a large metal pipe.

"Ha…Ha…Ha so fuckin' funny"

Mat stomped out of the cabin.

* * *

Kjuhte sighed and shook her head. The ooman was being ridiculous, though she did feel a little bit of guilt. He made it clear that he felt like a specimen being observed. She had let her curiosity get the better of her with no regard to the fact that she was indeed a guest in his territory.

**_I'm acting like an un-blooded pup!_**

The female decided it would be best to go after the male and attempt to make amends for her transgressions…..even if she felt it to be a little silly. She started to walk out of the shelter but paused at the door. She decided that would be best if she but her armor and gear on, she had been without for the past cycles and it made her nervous being so exposed out of the shelter. Kjuhte had managed to hotwire Mat's electrical system in his shelter to allow for a very slow charge of her power pack. She now had enough power to operate her mask and wrist com. She still didn't want to drain her supply by using the location sensors or to try and use her communications array.

"K!"

The huntress growled.

**_Paya grant me patience!_**

"Use…Name…Ooman!" she yelled at the wall.

"Kjuutee!"

The alien female would have gotten angry except for the tone of Mat's voice…something was wrong.

There were many dangers that the yautja faced in their long lives. But what stood across the small front clearing of Mat's shelter was one danger that Kjuhte had hoped she would never face.

Mev'iwes had once been one of the most elite of elders of the Kul'Stiv clan. She was the personal adviser and consort to her clan's matriarch. The two females had led one of the largest battle clans to be extremely prosperous. But she had a dark twist to her. She had borne fourteen pups for the glory of her clan and bloodline.

The pups should have been successful and strong but something had gone wrong. One by one her pups failed their chiva. None so much as survived the test, and with each failure the mighty female slipped farther in the darkness of her own mind. Finally she was caught with her final pup dead in her arms…she had been eating the small yautja.

Her clan was appalled, the council had voted unanimously on her execution. The matriarch had stepped in on Mev'iwes's behalf and the huntress had been banished. She unfortunately did not stop her demented ways though. There were reports of unsolicited attacks on any sentient race the huntress came in contact with. She came to crave causing pain in the darkest ways possible…she also began to grow a further taste for the flesh of the young of her prey. Her swath of terrorism came to an end at the hands of a member of Kjuhte's clan. Though she wasn't captured she had been injured severely causing the deranged female to go into hiding. Now here the dark twisted looking creature was standing before the two.

"Is this one of yours?" her companion asked

"Mat..thew…Inside."

"Uh..lemme think about that…go inside and leave you with tall, dark and smelly" Mat tapped his chin dramatically "Yeah…no."

Looking pointedly at the male Kjuhte growled. Placing her hand on his chest she gently pushed him towards the door.

"You…Can…Not…Help."

Mat narrowed his eyes at the dark lenses of her mask.

"Fine." Turning back to the door he went in rather aggressively.

Kjuhte chortled softly as she turned back to the bad blood. The disgusting female simply stood there her breath coming in wet rasps. Her face and body were twisted and punctuated with grotesque piercings. The deep scars from her last encounter with Kjuhte's clan stood out dark and puckered against her forest green skin covering huge portions of her greasy, foul smelling body.

"You trespass dishonored one" she growled "This is the territory of a huntress of the Lar'ja Ju'dha clan"

"and where is this huntress pup?" the bad blood leered.

"My bearer claims this reserve as her grounds. The Honorable Elite Gahn'tha-cte." Kjuhte's chest swelled with pride at the mention of her bearers name and title.

The scarred female hissed "Ah I know your bearer well…her hulij-bpe mei-jadhi is the reason I am like this" she barked gesturing to herself.

Kjuhte rumbled with mirth "Sev'ti may be different but I know you deserved everything you were given…."

She was cut off by the bellow of the opposing female as she charged.

Letting her wrist blades loose Kjuhte braced herself for the impact. The huntress snarled into the bad blood's mask as they tumbled into the cold mud. Using the momentum of the crash Kjuhte rolled over the other female and jumped to her feet. Not allowing the creature a chance to regain her footing the huntress gave a full bodied kick into her face. The bad blood flew onto her back sprawling into the muck.

"I will finish what my bearer started you filthy s'yuitde disgrace." With a full jump she attempted to bring her full body weight onto her wrist blades. She had to end this quickly, she was not in top shape and she knew that she couldn't go blade to blade with the much older and experienced female for long.

Her blades only met earth. The bad blood had rolled out and away with speed that seemed unreal.

Her blade flashed out of the corner of Kjuhte's eye and bit deep into her shoulder. The flesh opened easily under the yautja made blade. She bellowed at the burn, bringing her wrist blade up to sink deeply into the reeking bitch's ribs. "You will meet the black warrior today!" she hissed into the cold mask.

Deep trilling answered the surprised huntress. "Not this cycle pup!"

The bad blood whipped her hand around releasing a yellow powder into the face of the still stunned Kjuhte. The powder penetrated her mask and suddenly the female couldn't see or breathe. The burning pain smothered her lungs and made her eyes swell and water almost instantly. Her feet were swept from under her and she found herself lying on her back struggling to breathe and clear her vision.

"When I finish with you pup I will pay your ooman male a visit…I think I will show him how a true yautja mates."

"You will not touch him!" Kjuhte gasped. She lashed out blindly hope to cause any injury to slow the psychotic female. Several vicious kicks to her head and chest brought her attacks to a gasping halt. As suddenly as the attacks started they stopped, the sounds of a strange clanging replaced the bad bloods sneers and insults. The blind huntress couldn't help but trill at the sounds of an angry and cursing male ooman….her limping and sarcastic savior had arrived once again.

Mat was seriously upset now. After he went inside, he paced the living room as the sounds of the fight floated into the cabin. She still didn't trust him or she believed him incapable. Matthew spent the past two years showing the world that he wasn't useless. Now here was a female alien that he had saved telling him to go sit down and wait.

"Hell no!" Mat stomped into his bedroom and grabbed the aluminum baseball bat that he kept by the bed. Thinking about all of the stuff he had laying around as weapons he could see how people might think him a bit paranoid. They had never had an alien woman's mudwrestling match in their yard either. But when he walked out of the cabin to the sight of K lying on her side scrabbling to gain purchase he was floored his heart caught in his throat. How could his big curious warrior woman be down like that? A few seconds of watching her explained much…she was blind! That really pissed him off the other alien must have cheated somehow.

"You stank ass ho bag!" he roared swinging with all of his weight into the creatures face. The shock of the impact jarred him to the core.

"You know how much work I had to do to get her back on her feet!" he yelled with another bone breaking swing into the critters knee.

"I haven't had a single shower without being poked and fondled in almost a week!" he clipped her arm knocking her to the mud.

"Then your stanky coochie shows up and try's to take her from me!" mat drove the bat into her stomach with a whoosh. "Go buy a bar of soap bitch!"

Mat's blood pounded in his ears. All of the bull he had to deal with the past two years came to the surface. But it made him careless…he couldn't understand why he was flying suddenly. When he collided with post that held up the front porch he figured it out. The alien had moved so quickly he barely noticed. The impact of her fist into his chest barely registered, the broken ribs he knew he had did however register. Lying against the cracked wood he could feel consciousness slipping and the slickness of blood running down his chin.

**_Can I get one quite day please._**

A painful coughing fit spilled more of precious liquid down his chest. The crazy alien approached with a gratifying limp. Hissing as her broken arm swayed at her side. The last thing mat remembered was the sight of an object sprouting from her throat and the warm spray of some sort of green liquid covering his face and chest.

**_Stupid ho just spilled her funk on me, now I'll smell like her._**

It had grown soul chillingly quite. Kjuhte struggled to gain her bearings groping blindly with her only good hand. The sounds of the fighting were all she had to go with and suddenly there was nothing!

"Mat…thew?" there was no answer from the male.

The huntress started to panic.

"Pauk-de Ooman..Answer!" the soft sound of rain pattering on the ground was her only answer.

Ripping her mask off she huffed deeply, using the only one of her senses that didn't bring a wave of nausea and pain, trying to locate his scent. There! Scrambling on her good hand and knees she made her way towards the familiar scent.

Suddenly her hand came in contact with the soft warmth of a body.

"Mat..thew!?"

The male didn't respond or move. With her limited mobility the panting huntress started to gently slide her hand across his body, there was the familiar leg apparatus that supported his damaged joint, there was the belt buckle, here his waist, when she found the rib cage she froze. There she felt a protrusion.

**_His ribs are dislodged!_**

She continued her search of the ooman. A loud whimper escaped her when her hand found the warm wetness of his chest and chin. He was bleeding badly! Kjuhte shifted around to support Mat on her chest. In desperation she fumbled behind her blindly looking for the entrance to the shelter.

**_I need to get him out of the cold and rain! If I can get him in the shelter I can figure this out!_**

If yautja had the ability to sob the huntress knew she would be doing it. She knew there was nothing she could do. She was not a medic or healer, if Mat had serious internal injuries, she would have to watch helplessly as he expired.

She had to admit that she had grown very fond of the cranky ooman. He had proved himself time and again as honorable and decent. A small part accepted that he was an outcast from his own clan as was she. They were kindred spirits of sorts. Though she would never admit that to the fussy male.

**_Now I will lose him!_**

A mournful howl ripped itself from her throat. She continued to try and drag herself and the ooman across the landing. Having only one good hand and the dead weight of Mat on her chest made it impossible to gain purchase in the cold winter mud.

She finally felt herself collapse on the stairs. She had been losing blood the whole time and her strength had begun to fail her. With a soft growl she simply wrapped the male in her broad arms, trying to cloak him in the heat that radiated from her. Trying to keep him alive.

**_If just for a few more moments…perhaps help will arrive…somebody might have heard the fight…anything please paya!_**

"Please Paya…Please let me see home once!" she quietly prayed.

The huntress was finally defeated; it seemed that fate had decided her path.

"Rest easy my child." A deep rumbling voice said.

The blind yautja froze, every muscle tensed. She would fight until the end if she must!

A rumbling purr accompanied by the trill of laughter startled her. "So like your sire you are" a female spoke.

Another laugh echoed from her left. "Maybe but it's your strength she has my mate."

Kjuhte felt herself relax at the familiar voices and the comforting scent of her bearer and sire.

"Paya has heard you my offspring…let us go home."

* * *

**AN: **Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long. I have been pulled in a dozen ways the past few days. I know that this chapter is a little disjointed but it will get better I promise. I just need to get my head on straight. Thank you to all of the readers and your reviews. Keep them coming...your the reason I am finally writing this story!

**Side note**: hey Mrs. T it's good to hear from you! Glad to hear the story helped; also glad to hear about the hubby's progress. Keep us updated and please bring me some more Flossie! I'm having withdrawals lol.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **And we are back. So the next chapter or two are going to be mostly informative. You all are going to get some background on several of the characters. Please keep the reviews coming as they are my reason to keep writing. Enjoy.

**Chapter 6 Ships in the Night**

_ "Bravo one!...Bravo one this is Black Dragon! How copy…over?!_

_Mat couldn't seem to grasp what was happening around him. Sergeant Marks lay on his side in the middle of the small hut his eyes glazed and staring._

_"Bravo one…Bravo one…this is Black Dragon…requesting immediate evac and fire support...how copy over?!"_

_"LT I can't get anyone on the horn!" Sergeant Stiles, the unit's radio operator, screamed across the room._

_"Keep trying squeaks! They gotta get us the fuck outta here!" Lieutenant Barowick yelled over the din of machine gun fire and explosions._

_3__rd__ Platoon-Delta company-509__th__ rangers- call sign "Black Dragons"_

_That was the only official information that existed on paper of Mat's unit. They were ghosts, the stuff nightmares for terrorists and drug lords. Any criminal organization that brought the wrath of the U.S government on themselves knew that it was only a matter time before one of the four units dubbed "wraith initiative" would come calling. Of the four platoons assigned the dragons were the most specialized in field work. A call was made and within forty eight hours the unit would arrive and melt into the environment. Returning only after the "hunt" was over and another lunatic coke pusher or civilian butchering zealot lay dead in their own encampment. That's what Mat's unit did. They hunted down the people that everyone feared to even mention and sent them to hell….very quietly._

_This mission was to be no different. Two days prior they had slipped into the Middle Eastern country. Their target was a rather disturbed Frenchmen who had taken up selling bio-weapons on the black market. He would be meeting with potential buyers in a canyon only about a day away from a small village; the intent was to demonstrate some of the merchandise on the local herders and farmers that lived there. The problem was when the unit arrived at the ambush site the camp was not there! Not liking the feel of the situation Captain Deston had pulled the convoy back towards the village. That's were all hell broke loose._

_The hunters had become the hunted. The village had been a setup…a trap to draw them in and squeeze them. The lead humvee had been hit first, of the five in the vehicle only specialist Colton had managed to crawl from the burning wreckage. The stryker was slammed by RPG fire next quickly taking the beast out of the fight. By then the rest of the unit had bunkered up in a small two story house. Only moments after they had stripped as much ammo and other supplies form the vehicles, they exploded. They were cut off from transport and had precious few resources now._

_"Bravo one!...Bravo one!...Wake the fuck up damn it!... this is black dragon!"_

_"Sir I have Bravo on the line!" squeaks finally crowed._

_"Well get the fuck over here so I can talk to them…dipshit!" the LT roared_

_As squeaks made to run across the room the familiar sound of an AK-47 rattled off outside, squeaks had made himself visible! Mat could only watch dumbly as the shots punched through the scrawny sergeant. _

_"Son…tat tat tat…of a… tat tat tat tat…bitch!"Mat screamed, empting his M-16 at the shooters._

_Looking over his shoulder he watched as they dragged the bleeding radio operator to safety._

_"He's gone."_

_The LT'S words seemed to make the world slow down around them. As the lieutenant got on the radio the rest of the unit held their breath and scanned the streets._

_"All right people! Evac is inbound ETA 2 hours!...we hold here!"_

_That had been the longest two hours of Mat's life. By the time the sun had started to rise over the mountains they had run out of medical supplies and their ammo wasn't far behind. The wounded were slipping away and LT had collected far too many dog tags._

_Then suddenly as if by some answered prayer the familiar thumping of helicopters could be heard in the distance._

_"Alright here we go folks. Get the wounded and dead to the back of the house. Sargent Hebert pop smoke in that field out back!"_

_Mat snapped into action. Sneaking out the back opening and running to the low stone fence that surrounded the clearing. With a heave he hurled a smoke grenade over the wall and waited for the signal to move back._

_Then the cavalry arrived…the Apache gunships spewed righteous fury into the surrounding village and the Blackhawks touched down. The last few moments were a blur as the remaining team members ran back and forth to ferry their downed comrades._

_Just when Mat thought it was finally over, from what he had heard as he didn't remember any of it, a blind fired RPG whistled into the back of the small hut they had been defending. Suddenly the world turned upside down as Mat and the Lt flew through the air. The landing had knocked all of his breath away and he found that he couldn't stand. Looking down Mat's worst fear came true, what had been his leg had turned into a torn and bloody mess. It was all he could do to drag himself towards the sound of the copter!_

_"Come on solider we are leaving this piss hole!" the lieutenant was suddenly at his side. They limped towards the copters…20 feet…10 feet…5 feet…crack…the Lt went down next to him, blood jetting from the snipers bullet._

* * *

Mat snapped awake. The urge to vomit dominated his mind as rolled over and heaved his stomach's contents all over the side of the bed he lay on. After a few minutes of dry heaving the sobbing man finally got control over himself.

**_It's been years since I dreamt of that day._**

He was confused and as he became calm the pain of his beaten body washed over him. With a groan he turned to lie on his back. His cabin was dark and cold.

**_Must have let the fire die._** He thought groggily. He didn't know how long he had been asleep but he had been plagued with strange dreams. Before the nightmare of his old life he had been dreaming of strange aliens and there had been the craziest fight in his front lawn.

Slowly turning his head he absorbed his surroundings, his eyesight blurry and skewed. The room he lay in was dark except for a low red glow that came from the floor, which was covered in a thick flowing mist. Groaning again he let his head rest back on the pillow. He figured that he would end up in hell when he died. Mat was not necessarily a religious man, he believed in a higher power of some sort and he was certain that when you kicked the bucket that you went "up" or "down" figuratively speaking. But this seemed a bit ridiculous. Where were the lakes of fire and little demons? Where was Hitler getting pineapples stuffed up his ass?

"Figures that I would go to the boring hell." He muttered.

He shivered at the chill and realized that he was naked. Looking down the length of himself he gasped at the state of his body.

His abdomen was a mass of dark bruising and his left arm ached fiercely. His face hurt as well and he realized that he couldn't see from his left eye, it was swollen shut. The ever familiar pain in his knee chose that moment to remind him that he wasn't by any means dead.

Gritting his teeth against the relentless burn he sat up and slung his legs over the side of the platform he lay on.

"Well I sure as hell ain't in Kansas to-to"

With a small heave he let himself slide off of the "bed" and immediately fell to the floor with a loud yelp. With his eye swollen he had misjudged the height of the fall and landed on the scarred joint of his knee. It couldn't take the weight forced on it and he spilled to the floor, a tangle of naked man parts and blankets.

The noise must have gotten somebody's attention. While Mat tried to figure out which part of his body went where a panel hissed open blinding him with a bright white light. A large shadow filled the "door" moments later.

"K?" Mat raised his hand to ward off the light and make sense of the situation.

**_Did that smelly one get us?_**

Seeming to read his mind the figure stepped into the room and a low rumble made the human's chest vibrate. The door closed behind it and the room suddenly glowed with warm amber light. Blinking to adjust to the sudden change Mat concentrated on the blurry figure, as his vision cleared he found himself looking at a pair of large shins. Attached to those shins were some very large feet which ended in cruel talons. Deciding to risk it he let his eyes travel up…and up…and up…and up.

"Holy crap monkeys!" he blurted

Standing before him was the largest creature he had ever seen. Its skin was the familiar dark black. It even had the oh so familiar red strips, but this was not k! It also dawned on him that this was most definitely a she.

"Don't you people know about t-shirts or something?" his face flushed as he looked to the floor, avoiding the curvy hips and large full breasts. The only thing the nine foot tall female wore was her kilt and the cold eyed mask he had become accustomed to seeing from this species.

A heavy rasping from across the room startled the human. In a large chair across the room sat another of the aliens. This one had apparently been sitting in the shadows watching Mat the whole time. After closer inspection Mat noticed thankfully that it was dressed and male; his shoulders shook as he continued to make the gravelly rasping.

**_He's laughing at me!_**

Mat felt the hair on his neck stand up and a low growl rumble out of his throat as he stood up. At the same moment the huge female also growled at the laughing male. It appeared she didn't enjoy being laughed at either. The male's mirth ended abruptly.

"Yeah buddy you ain't laughing now are yah." the human sneered.

A very large hand closing around the back of Mat's neck made him realize that he should be looking for the don't taunt the aliens sign.

"Who laughs now ooman?" the male replied.

"You speak English!?" Mat wasn't sure if he was getting angry or shocked.

"Why the hell don't you people start off with that first? Instead of all of this sneaking and rumbling and…" Mat felt suddenly calm, and then he realized that the female had started purring. The sound seemed to bounce off of the inside of his head and make everything fuzzy. The human found himself to be very tired. "I need to lay down for a bit…and then I'll kick your ass."

* * *

Lei'Tuk was almost positive that the little ooman had just threatened him. Had he been in any other situation he would have answered that threat and torn the male limb from limb. But the half crippled rather strange male that was slumped against his female…he was no threat. Funny yes…brave very…insane….well that was obivious.

"What a strange little male." Gahn'tha-cte rumbled "I think I see why our offspring didn't just crush his throat."

The big female scooped the ooman up like a small toy and placed him back on the bed, drawing up her mandibles at the vomit on the floor.

"Typical dirty ooman"

"I don't believe that was intentional my mate. He seemed to be having a sleep cycle disturbance."

"Which has you terribly curious I'm sure." She chided.

"I will admit in purity that I am intrigued to be this close to an ooman without having to take his skull." He admitted.

Gahn'tha-cte face palmed and sighed.

**_Between him and Kjuhte I will die with grey locks!_**

* * *

Matt was sure his face couldn't get any redder. He wished he could just drown himself in the large pool that he stood in. After having slept for what felt like days the human had been awakened by the big female rather roughly. She had helped him down from the bed like he was a child! Then practically shoved food down his throat before trying to drown him with a large chalice of water; the whole time the alien trilled and clucked at him. He had no idea what she was saying but he felt like a disobedient child who had been caught doing something mischievous.

Now he found himself in what appeared to be a bathroom. His blanket that he had kept securely wrapped around his nakedness had been snatched from him before being bodily tossed into the water. Mat learned two things; one that huge aliens needed huge bathtubs and two that when a full grown female thought you needed a bath you were damn well getting a bath!

"I promise you I can do this on my own ma'am!" he pleaded to the alien woman.

"I swear I'll get all of the important parts!"

She responded by dumping more of the "body wash" that she had been trying to drown him in for the past few minutes over his head and scrubbing at his red skin.

"Easy on the man bits please!" mat whined

After what seemed an eternity of being scrubbed and manhandled he was plopped down on a stool like a drowned rat. Huffing and very irritated Mat went to start drying himself, but apparently she didn't think him capable of that either. After several tense moments of a stare down and tug of war over the towel she finally relented. With a final huff she walked form the room leaving the very upset human in a daze.

"Jeez lady." He grumbled.

Standing carefully on his weak legs he began to dry off. The sound of the door sliding open made him stiffen.

"Ma'am I told you I would be…" mat snapped his mouth shut when he realized it wasn't the female.

Standing in the door was a new member of the group. A male with ocher colored skin and spots covering his face, arms and legs. He wore the usual kilt but he also seemed to be wearing what looked like a long sleeve shirt.

**_He looks like a cheetah wearing a shirt!_**

Timidly he decided to try talking to this one "Sorry man I thought you were that lady coming back."

The big male rumbled "You must forgive my bearer ooman. She can be a bit…insistent."

"Your bearer?"

"I believe you would call her…mother." he replied

"That's your mom! Man your childhood must have been one endless bath."

The alien made the rumbling sound again. Mat realized the sound was laughter and they all seemed to do it a lot around him.

"I wish I knew what the damn joke was." He mumbled under the towel.

"My…mom… insists on a clean ship and clean offspring yes." Walking closer the male settled itself on another of the stools.

"Even now my brothers and I cannot escape grooming."

Mat couldn't help but hear the affection in the males tone. His mother had been the same way when he and his sister were growing up. She was an ER nurse and that meant everything in their home was damn near sterile.

"How many brothers do you have?"

"I have seven brothers and a single sister. Which I understand you already know."

Mat did a double take at the male. "Wait... k is your sister?"

"sei-i ooman. But her name is Kjuhte not...k." the male nodded.

Mat groaned and let himself. "So I have been bitching at her mom, and all around made an ass of myself."

"sei-i"

"Yeah thanks…what is your name by the way?...as a matter of fact I don't any of you…you guys are really bad at introductions ya know."

The alien cocked his head. "I am Dei'lui and you are Mat..thew. As for the rest you will learn shortly…now come ooman I am to get you clothed and ready for the late cycle meal."

"Awesome awkward family dinner…my favorite." Mat stated rolling his eyes.

"You are being ass again." Dei'lui growled

"Sorry."

* * *

Kjuhte was convinced that she was going insane.

"Bearer please can I at least get up from this pallet!?" the worst thing you could do to a yautja was to blind them and sentence them to bed rest. But here she lay her eyes tightly bound in a pungent wrap to draw the toxin from her eyes and face. The huntress felt that she might explode.

"h'ko my hulij-bpe thwei." Gahn'tha-cte chided "you are to stay calm and stay put until the toxin is out of your system. That is what the healer has instructed."

"What of the ooman bearer? He must be uncomfortable with so many unknown hunters around. He doesn't do well in social situations." She tried changing tactics "He will need a familiar yautja around…to interpret… Mat…thew doesn't know our customs. I would hate for him to unintentionally insult anyone."

"Is that his name then?...well he is in fine company. Your sire and mei'hswei are keeping him occupied." Her mother stated flatly. "Besides he has been bathed and feed."

"Bearer please tell me you didn't…you didn't handle him…did you? And you left him alone with the males!?" Kjuhte began to feel a little panicked. She held a great affection for her sire and brothers but they tended to be a little aggressive towards anything that they perceived as a threat to their females.

Gahn'tha-cte scoffed loudly "You needn't worry pup. Your sire hasn't stopped laughing since that pauk-de male has come onto the ship. He is respectful enough and polite. His bearer taught him well for a ooman. Though I can't understand a del'ik word he says. He will be fine."

Kjuhte sighed she knew when she was fighting a lost cause. A soft purr escaped her when her bearer ran the pads of her fingers across her burned face.

"If you mind what the healer tells you I will let your ooman come and visit."

"Yes my bearer….but he doesn't belong to me."

She heard her bearer snort as she left the room.

**_He doesn't!_**

* * *

"Hey there kiddo." Mat whispered into K's ear.

Kjuhte woke slowly her head still fuzzy from the cocktail of medications that her brother, Dei'lui, had put her on.

"Mat..thew?" with a grunt the female pushed herself up to sit against the wall.

"Easy there…your mom says you have to take it easy." The human said.

"What is mom?" "How are you feeling?" "Has my blood been good to you?"

Mat chuckled at her stream of questions. **_Something's don't change_**!

"They have been most accommodating. Though your…uh…bearer could use a lesson on respecting private space. Hey maybe you two can take classes together." Mat laughed.

Kjuhte chuckled and swatted in the direction of the males voice.

"There is…no need… for…." She couldn't seem to find the right word.

"To be a right jackass." Mat replied for her

"sei-i…an…ass…jack."

Mat almost fell out of the yautja sized chair in fits of laughter.

Straitening in his seat Mat cleared his throat.

"Listen kjuuhtee" Kjuhte's back stiffened a little at the attempt at her name, he never tried to use it unless he was agitated or very serious. "There is something I want to tell you….your dad I mean…sire informed me this morning that you will be leaving soon. That there is some sort of festival that your clan has to be at soon."

"Sei-i yes we go every season. It is when my clan does its most lucrative trading." For some reason she felt apprehensive of telling him about the great mating and trials festival on Yautja Prime. "It is when many young bloods are tested for their chiva."

"That's what your folks said. But they wanted to give me a chance to come in and say… n'dhi-ja…did I say that right?"

The huntress felt a great swell of pride for the human in his attempts at learning some of her language. But she also felt a strange heaviness in her chest.

**_He is leaving and I can't even pauk-de see him!_**

"Sei-i…most…excellent yautja. When will you depart?"

"In a few hours."

Kjuhte grew quite.

"But hey hopefully, IF you can stay out of trouble without me, you can come back and visit from time to time." He said sounding rather hopefully.

"It is most possible"

Mat sighed "Well I guess I need to go get myself ready. You take care of yourself…alright babe."

Kjuhte felt his small hand give her a squeeze on her upper arm. "You…also…take care." She nearly whispered.

* * *

Mat's mouth gaped at the sight before him.

**_Is that what I think it is?_**

"Are we in space!?" Mat realized that he had never asked where they were. He had just assumed they were still on earth and that they would let him go when they were ready…or kill him.

"And is that…MARS!"

Lei'Tuk trilled loudly. "Sei-i ooman. We have been orbiting the red planet for three of your cycles."

Mat looked on in awe as the small drop ship released form the larger ship. "Well I'll damned."

* * *

Kjuhte sat quietly in her quarters. The familiar sound of the drop ship docking with her families ship told her that Matthew had returned to his home. A moment later the main engines of the large vessel fired up.

The hiss of the door into her quarters caught her attention and she huffed in the scent of her visitor.

"Sire?"

Lei'Tuk purred confirming his presence. "Sei-i my offspring. I thought I would visit with you while we return to the clan-ship."

The sound of the male settling his large frame into a chair, a heavy silence filling the room.

"I have failed my bloodline my sire…I have shamed you and my bearer." She whispered.

"How do you see this Kjuhte?"

"No hunter worth the title would have been ambushed by bad bloods the way I have." She answered laying her hands in her lap.

The male rumbled with amusement. "Did you run?...Did you surrender?...You are young my offspring, you have much to learn. I feel no shame of you. In purity I was overjoyed to find you alive and well…as does your bearer though she would not admit that out loud."

Kjuhte laughed at her father's comment.

"What I wish to talk of really…is that ooman."

She could feel her crest rise defensively. "What of him?"

"Be cautious pup! You not so young or injured that I cannot put you in your place." Lei'Tuk growled.

The female winced at her blatant disrespect. "I am sorry sire."

The two sat in silence for what felt like hours.

Sighing heavily her sire stood. "I think I have the answers I need."

"How do you mean my sire?"

With a grunt the male sat on the edge of the pallet.

"For your entire life you have been considered abnormal….then you stumble across a likeminded male on a hostile planet…well my offspring you finish that thought. With a pat on her calf the male left the room.

**_What was he trying to say? _**

**AN:  
**There we go. okay so just a little note. You will notice that I don't have have back to back blood and gore or sex in every chapter. I wan you to see people actual characters with depth. Now by all means feel free to let me know if it seems that I am getting preachy. I hope you are all enjoying the story thus far. The next few chapters are going to be short mostly informative chapters. each will be just a single POV. I hope you stay with me.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN**: Here we go. Into the world of K and her family as well as Matt and his life. Yeah..no I doubt that the two will be bumping uglies anytime soon LostOne1775 J. They are more like that sexually awkward roommate situation. You know the one where you think there might be something there but you're both not going to make a move. LoL anyway I hope you all are enjoying the story thus far. I love the feedback I am getting. If I seem to stray (which I do at times) please let me know.

**Chapter 7 Home, Home on the Range**

Yautja Prime home of the yautja and birthplace of the hunt. The planet consisted of desert at the poles and a thick jungle wrapping around its center. The large capital city sat in the middle of the densest part of the jungle. It would be packed with members of almost every clan. The great festival dedicated to Paya was an event that few were willing to miss. Many of the young bloods would be tested for their chivas and many males would be vying for the attentions of honorable females…..Kjuhte hated every moment of it.

The trip back to Lar'ja Ju'dha had been too short in her opinion. When they had docked at the huge clanship a crowd had gathered to greet their lost sister home. None had expected to see her walk from the hunt ship being lead blindly by her bearer. The matriarch herself had met the group at the ships ramp. After leading them to her quarters the ancient female listened to the story of the wayward huntress. Once the rest of the clan had heard of the bad bloods ambushing and crippling their clan mate so dishonorably they were outraged, several of the head families placed large bounties on the despicable dishonored. Thankfully Kjuhte had been released to her quarters for rest and healing. Her brother had decided to prolong his return to the High Matron's Council to look after the needs of his sister. Dei'lui was the only of the offspring who had become a healer but like all of the siblings he had excelled at it. Eventually he attained the rank of elite and gained a position with the High Matron's conclave.

The high priestess's clan was not necessarily a clan but a hand selected group of members that were the best of what they specialized in. The clan watched over the laws and traditions of the yautja as a people. All major matters were brought before the ancient female and her council.

Kjuhte's brother had become, much to the overwhelming pride of her family and clan, an elite overseer of the medical, scientists, and researchers. Unfortunately that title came with Dei'lui having to take a new clan mark and being gone for long periods of time. But for now he was home.

Now the clan ship was orbiting Yautja Prime amongst hundreds of other vessels. All had come for the festival. For her clan they would trade the goods that had been amassed over the past seasons. It was their most profitable time and the hope of pregnant females was an added bonus.

As the clan departed for the surface, Kjuhte made sure to drag her feet. Taking as much time as possible to prepare her things and pack her smaller ship.

" mei-jadhi!" the huntress turned to see Sha-shui bounding towards her.

Leaping into the embrace of her lost hunt sister Kjuhte couldn't help but laugh with joy. When she and Sha-shui had been separated on the blue planet the worst had been feared.

"Praise Paya I thought you to be lost sister!" the younger but much taller female cried.

"It seems that is not yet my path sister." Kjuhte laughed.

"Well you must tell me everything of your time on the blue planet. Is it true that a male ooman assisted you?" the younger female stared wide eyed at Kjuhte.

Thankfully Kjuhte's family had been discreet about the means of her rescue. She didn't think that she could deal with the heckling that would have resulted from that knowledge. She would forever owe Mat…thew a debt for what he had done. She respected the ooman greatly but her people would never understand the dynamic of prey assisting hunter.

"Assist me in packing and you will hear everything sister." Kjuhte laughed at the owlish look she was receiving.

**_You will not be disappointed little sister._**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 Homecoming**

Mat sat in his jeep staring at the familiar house. After nearly four years he sat in front of the home that he had grown up in and he was sober. Spring had finally come back into full swing and he found himself in a strange mood. His experience with K and her family had left him with an unusual wanderlust. He found he couldn't sit still, even in the freezing weather outside his cabin. He couldn't stop thinking of the way K's family had come looking for her and to be honest he found himself thinking of the female alien herself often. He missed having the company of the blunt and annoyingly curious woman. Suddenly his little cabin wasn't so cozy and comforting.

In a last minute decision Mat decided it was time to head south and visit his family. He spent the rest of the dark and cold winter making his plans. When the first green began to show itself Mat took a trip into town and purchased the items he thought he would need…he also finally replaced his couch and coffee table. After the crazy days with the alien clan he hadn't been able to stop thinking of his mom and sister. K's family had traveled god knows how far to find their wayward member. It made him miss his family. It made him miss his life!

Now after a long trip he was in a rainy, muggy Birmingham sitting in his mother's driveway.

* * *

Mary Hebert sat in her den sipping on her coffee. It was another rainy day in Alabama.

**_I would rather not have to go to work today._**

So she had called into the hospital and took a sick day. After twenty five years as an ER nurse the staff certainly felt she deserved it! Now she had settled into her favorite chair, it had belonged to her husband, and skimmed the paper. She had just gotten into the funnies when her doorbell rang.

**_Who could that be?_**

It was common for the neighbors to stop by for coffee but not in this weather. Making her way to the door she mused over who it might be. When she opened the door her heart felt like lead.

"Hey ma." Her son greeted.

* * *

Mat could feel the tears welling up in his eyes.

**_She has gotten older._**

The truth of that stole the grown man's breath. Her hair had begun to gray at the temples and there were more wrinkles than he remembered.

"How have you been ma?" he said.

"What's happened son? Are you in trouble?" the woman asked dryly

Mat couldn't help the pang of guilt. He hadn't given her much of a reason to think otherwise.

"No ma! I'm clean…have been for almost three years…I have just missed you guys." He exclaimed.

"I just wanted to see you." He almost whispered.

The two sat in silence for a few moments.

With a heavy sigh Mat turned to leave. "It's fine ma…I guess I deserve it."

"Son wait...please!" Mat turned just in time to catch her as she went to leap into his arms with a sob.

"I'm sorry baby. You don't deserve this at all."

Mother and son stood embracing in the rain for what felt like a life time.

Clearing her throat Mary stood back. "Well let's get out of the rain like decent human beings."

Mat laughed and nodded; whipping tears from his face. "Okay ma."

* * *

It felt good to be home! It seemed to Mat that nothing had changed in the old home, even his room was the exact same he remembered it. After drying off and changing he made his way back downstairs. After wondering around for a bit he found his way back into the den. The room still smelled of the pipe tobacco that his dad had smoked for years. Lining the walls were the shelves of pictures. Several generations of the Hebert family adorned the walls of the room.

Mat felt his breath catch as he looked at a photo of his father. Pasha Hebert had been a large quite man. He was tall and broad shouldered with dark hair and eyes. His french creole family had been living and thriving in the bayous of the south since the eighteen hundreds. After a major hurricane had savaged the gulf coast Mr. Hebert decided to move his young wife and unborn son farther inland. Mat grew up in this small community in the out skirts of Birmingham; its streets and people were as familiar to him now as they were when he was eight years old.

Mat ran his fingers over the old photo of a man that had meant everything to him. It was a picture of one of Mat's softball games. For his size and strength the man had never raised his voice or hand towards his wife or children. For as far back as Mat could remember he had never been spanked or yelled at. Pasha had a way of commanding respect from anyone that came in contact with him without ever having to show it physically. Mat could remember every time the man had held his children's hands when they crossed a street or the times when Mat had been sick that his dad had stayed home from work to play games and watch morning cartoons.

He slumped against the wall, his shoulders shaking as he quietly cried.

"He would have been proud of you." His mom stated.

Mat had never heard her walk in. Mat sighed and placed the frame back in its place.

"I doubt that mom." Shaking his head he settled into one of the recliners, the worn leather smelling of pipe smoke. "I don't think he would agree with some of the choices I have made."

His mother's soft hands pulled his gaze to meet hers. "We all make mistakes son. But god gave you a second chance and you took it. You got out of that pit and look at you now."

Sitting back in her seat she looked out of the window. "He would have been proud that you picked yourself up and fought on." With a sad laugh "Just like that time you tried to parachute form the roof of the house and broke your arm."

Mat laughed loudly. "You were so mad at me."

"But your dad just shook his head and said well maybe we shouldn't let him watch war movies." She imitated.

Mat fought to catch his breath. "I tried three more times! But dad never told you."

The memory of those days made Mat feel at peace in his childhood home. But it reminded him of the painful memories of losing his dad.

Mat had just returned from talking with an army recruiter when he had heard of the explosion at the refinery his father worked at. Mat could remember driving like a madman to get to the hospital. By the time he had made it to the emergency room his father had died from the severe wounds and burns. To compound things Mat's mother and baby sister had been at the refinery when it had blown up. Lisa had been just a toddler when it happened. Playing in the parking lot the child had no way of understanding what had happened. The sonic force from the blast had ruptured her tiny eardrums, leaving his baby sister permanently deaf. The doctors claimed it was a complete freak accident. She had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Less than a year later Mat left for basic training.

"I hope he is proud of me ma…and you to." he said sheepishly

"More than you will ever know sweetling." She answered.

* * *

The rain had finally stopped when the two sat down for dinner. It was a strange feeling having to get to know his mother all over again.

Slathering butter over a biscuit Mat couldn't remember the last time he felt so content.

"You haven't lost your touch ma, you're still dynamite in a kitchen."

"Well my old hands aren't what they used to be, but I still have a few tricks," she chuckled.

Mat stuffed the fresh biscuit in his mouth. "Mmph mep mmph."

Mary rolled her eyes. "Son chew you food please."

"Yes Ma'am."


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: **So busy these past few days. But we're back! I hope you are all enjoying the trip so far.

Keep the reviews and such coming. Oh as for that 50lbs I don't think I can help with that.

**Chapter 9 Something's never change **

Mat wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep. The familiar sound of the front door opening woke him from a deep snooze on the den couch. He had wanted to wait up for Lisa to get home but as the hours ticked by the long drive had finally won out.

Now it was well after midnight and he was curious as to why his sister would be coming in so , like all the women in his family, didn't let much slow them down. After the doctors made it clear that she would never be able to hear again she dug in her heels and survived. Even as a young girl she soaked up everything like a sponge; learning sign language and any other skill that would help her move on with her life. While Mat had been in rehab he learned that she had started culinary school and after he had moved north she opened her own bakery in the heart of the city. She wrote him religiously every week and kept him up to date on her life.

Hobbling into the living room Mat was not prepared for what he found. His red headed baby sister sat slumped over in a chair; their mother holding the quietly sobbing young woman in her arms.

"Ma…Lisa?...What the hell?" he questioned

Mat's mother looked up at him sadly. The movement drew Lisa's attention to the door where Mat stood. The two siblings stared at each other for a few tense moments. Mat let his breath slip through his teeth with a hiss.

"Mom what the hell happened?"

Lisa had a dark blotchy bruise swelling her left eye and her lip and nose had dried blood crusting her chin and shirt.

Switching to sign language he stared intently at his baby sister while his hands moved uncertainly.

"**_What happened sister?" _** He signed

Mat never used the sign language much so he was a bit slow at it but he had learned right alongside his sister and wasn't bad at it. Right now he wished he could just read minds.

Lisa's lip began to quiver suddenly she sprang from the chair to leap at the big brother she hadn't seen in almost three years. Mat caught her mid leap; bracing himself against the wall. His knee just wouldn't have it and they both slumped down the wall. Mat refused to let her go as he felt tears spilling down his cheeks. He rocked her small frame against his chest and listened to her quietly cry for another reason as their mother looked on with a fierce pride… Mat was home…her babies were home.

Mat wasn't sure how long they had sat there. He had just sat and rocked his sister; his tears finally drying. As his leg started to tingle he noticed Lisa had started to breathe deeply.

**Little firecracker fell asleep.**

With a quite grunt Matt lifted her into his arms and hobbled towards his old bedroom. After a few moments of flipping and sliding he managed to pry her hands from his neck and got her shoes off. After covering her up he got a damp cloth and wiped the blood that stained her lip and nose.

"Mom what's been going on?" he asked entering the sitting room.

Leaning against the doorframe to ease the weight on his now sore leg he looked at his mother expectantly.

"Is Lisa in some sort of trouble?"

With a weary sigh Mary leaned back in her chair, she knew that Mat would poke and prod until he found the truth and she felt that it would probably end better this way.

"Mat sit down please."

Mat obeyed his mother and perched on the opposite recliner.

"Owning a business has gotten very hard these days." she started "The bakery hasn't been doing well…what with the cost of flour and sugar and you know all of the things you need, Lisa started to run out of money."

"Ma why didn't you tell me.." Mat started to interrupt.

"Let me finish son… Like I said money ran out and we thought that would be the end of it… but then she met a man." She closed her eyes; she knew Mat was going to be furious.

"Who ma?"

"At first things were fine…he started giving her support for the bakery and they were happy together. He seemed to be a good man…but then he got mean, after he had her trapped in the money pit. He told her that he owned her now unless she could pay him back… he started to get mean and violent with her. And last week she started to come home with bruises."

Mary was getting frantic as she spoke and she could see the tension building in Mat's spine.

"Who. Is. It. Mom?" he whispered

With a heavy sigh she looked up at Mat's burning gaze. "Whilom Bocage."

Mat growled low in his throat.

"Why would you let her mom! You know that family…you know that they are trash, criminals!"

The Bocage family came from dirty money. They had started off with some small oil wells that they had muscled from local families. With that money they started to muscle in on the shrimping that many people relied on to feed their families and pay their bills. One by one the smaller boat owners were squashed out. Finally having a firm hold on the industry they targeted the same families that now could no longer pay their mortgages.

Whilom was the youngest of the sons; he was a pretentious and snide little bastard who felt that he owned the city. It was no secret that he trapped folks in a money web and squeezed them until there was nothing left. Mat hated the boy when they had been in school together and now he had reason to beat him senseless!

Squeezing his eyes closed he tried to calm the burning anger that had started to course through his chest.

"How much?... How much does she owe him?" his voice a mere whisper.

"Nine thousand."

Mat's breath caught. "Nine…Thousand!..Mom!"

He slumped over in his chair rubbing his face with a hand.

After a few quite moments Mat sighed and stood up.

"Go to bed ma." He croaked before heading to his bedroom.

"What are you going to do Matthew…Mat please!"

Mat turned to his no panicked mother. "Don't worry ma." He turned and vanished into the darkness of his room.

When he emerged again he was dressed and had his brace back in place. Mary sat frozen in the recliner he had left her in.

"Matthew please…baby don't do anything rash!" she pleaded

Mat chuckled and held up a thick envelope. "I won't ma, I'm just going to pay the prick and tell him to piss off."

At the door he stopped with his hand on the knob.

"I'm different now mom… things are different. I don't feel like hurting or getting hurt and…"

Mary rose and padded to her son. "What baby?"

"I just want my life back mom." Turning haunted eyes to his mother "I want my family back."

Mary pulled her boy into a fierce hug. "You never lost us baby."

Pulling away Mat smiled a mischievous grin and winked. 'I'll be back later mom."

She rolled her eyes and smirked. "I'm not washing any bloody clothes boy."

When the door closed behind him he turned into the darkness with a grim look on his face.

**Nobody fucks with my family.**

As he made his way to the jeep he felt the rush that he had grown to enjoy all of those years.

**It's time to hunt. ** He couldn't help the feral smile that filled his face.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN**: Hey folks. I hope your liking the story. Let's check in on K and see what she is up to. I'm sorry about the delay. I'm back to the life of a freelancer and roadie. But I'll make it up to you I swear. Please review and tell me your thoughts.

**Chapter 10 Something's really don't change**

**I should have stayed on the pauk-de ship.**

Kjuhte never liked visiting the large cities of her people. They were too crowded and loud. Too many yautja to stare at her and whisper; she spent all of her time there trying to vanish and avoid them.

"Will you relax mei-jadhi!"

Kjuhte looked across the large table where Sha-shui sat nursing her c'nlip.

"I'm getting nervous just watching you." The dark huntress laughed.

"In purity I would rather be somewhere else my sister." Kjuhte replied.

Sha-shui sighed and shook her head. "Sister…to pauk with what they think. You have already proved yourself before your clan and more than proved your worth before Paya and the Black Warrior."

Kjuhte rolled her eyes and huffed; crossing her arms across her chest she scanned the room. It had filled up with other hunters and huntresses. All where friends or blood clan greeting each other as if they hadn't seen the other in seasons.

**No one for me to greet is there?**

"mei-jadhi" Kjuhte looked back to her friend. "Let's go back to your ship if this makes you uncomfortable… in purity I was never fond of these gatherings myself… I prefer the deep quite of space or the night of the hunt… mei-jadhi?...are you listening to me?"

Kjuhte zoned back into the conversation. "Yes sister I was listening and I agree I wish to leave."

Sighing heavily Sha-shui stood. "And you wonder why you are named void."

The smaller huntress growled.

"Let's go get intoxicated."

Sha-shui's eyes widened. "c'jit!" Something had caught her attention over Kjuhte's shoulder.

When she turned towards the door she couldn't help the growl from rumbling through her chest. Walking into through the entrance was a female that Kjuhte could have done without seeing.

"Vesh-ka" she hissed.

Vesh-ka hailed from the clan R'ka- Thwei, one of the largest of the battle clans. The battle clans were a sect of the yautja race that was the muscle of the united clans of the yautja people. Though a powerful people the yautja were by no means the only sentient race with space travel, there were still many clans that did not accept the conclave as their way of life. There were also many other races capable of being a threat to the vast territories that were home to the many clans. Even the still fledgling oomans would one day be a travelling threat.

Although an honorable clan R'ka- Thwei had a bad habit of being a bit…full of themselves. They prided themselves on their massive size and physical prowess. The female blocking Kjuhte's escape happened to be one of their best. She held a grudge against the smaller huntress ever since they tested together. Kjuhte had surpassed all expectations at her chiva…much to the larger female's anger, as she had almost failed and botched the entire hunt with her swollen ego.

Now she stood in Kjuhte's way accompanied by her entourage, the three smaller females that stood in her shadow could be found everywhere the big huntress went. They feed from the crumbs of any honor that she dropped for their benefit and hoped to one day surpass and best her.

"Let us try and slip past them." Kjuhte grumbled.

"I do not fear that sad excuse of a huntress sister." Sha-shui growled loudly. "We will walk from here with dignity…or I can rip her throat out. Whichever you prefer my elder mei-jadhi."

Kjuhte laughed deeply at her sister's fierce loyalty.

Sha-shui was not a blood relation. Her bearer and sire were an honored mated pair of Lar'ja Ju'dha. They had gone to the Dark Warrior's hall on a hunt and expedition of an uncharted planet. With no other bloodline to take the then tiny female she was destined to be sent to Yautja Prime and probably a life of servitude.

Kjuhte's bearer wouldn't stand for a healthy female to be sent away. Having only her one female offspring; Gahn'tha-cte petitioned to adopt. It was quickly granted by a relieved matriarch; within a cycle Sha-shui became a member of the family group. The two females became an affectionate pair and could be found together everywhere. Though a full ten seasons older Kjuhte was not nearly as large as her younger sister and it still surprised her when she was referred to as elder.

"You can just use my name…there are no need for titles between us sister." She replied

Sha-shui stared wide eyed at the older huntress. "Your trophies say otherwise my sister." She chided.

The two made for the exit of the gathering space. It appeared that they would get the chance to leave without a conflict.

"Where are you going tiny huntress?"

"C'jit" Kjuhte turned to the deep mocking voice of her nemesis.

"Will you not join us for a drink little sister? Or is the c'nlip too strong for that small body?" Vesh-ka chortled at her own joke, her flunkies following suit.

Kjuhte didn't allow herself to fall into the trap, but her sister was not as observant.

"In purity honorable huntress we find the stench here to be too strong."

The opposing female growled at the insult and stalked forward.

Deciding it was best to intervene Kjuhte stepped forward. "We have travelled far Vesh-ka. It has been a long trip to arrive for the festival and we wish to rest."

Vesh-ka bristled at the lack of a title but seemed to not wish a physical altercation.

"We will take our leave then." The two turned to leave.

The two walked into the bright multi star daylight. The pathways were filled with other yautja; bustling about trading and purchasing wares.

"It is nice to see so many of our people sister."

Kjuhte looked over her shoulder to reply.

"Mei-jadhi DOWN!" her warning came too late as a yautja sized chair smashed into the back of Sha-shui's head sending shards of stone and wood . The younger huntress fell to the red stone path, green blood blooming from the gash in the back of her skull.

Falling to her knees Kjuhte rolled the splayed huntress over. With a few slaps to the face her vision seemed to clear.

"Can you stand Sha?"

Sha-shui nodded. "I am fine sister. I was just caught unaware."

A deep laugh echoed through the now parted crowd. "A true huntress would have never let her guard down. You shame Paya and the blood of our people with your false titles. Your bearer should have drowned both of you at birth." Vesh-ka growled. The big female stood over the two with her fists clenched and her locks flared threateningly. "I warned you not to turn your back on me again tiny one. You will not insult me again."

Kjuhte stood slowly. She could feel her blood boiling and knew that her locks were flared as well. She could she her colored strips nearly glowed a bright red on her forearms.

"A true and honorable huntress wouldn't attack a fellow sister blindly Vesh!" Kjuhte yelled leaving out more of the bitch's title. "A true huntress would not skulk about waiting to prey on the honor of decent yautja. A true huntress would never run and leave her fellow hunters to fail…to abandon her PATH!"

Vesh-ka visibly paled at the reference at her nearly failed chiva. Her eyes darted towards the growing crowd drawn by the promise of a fight.

"You will regret that tiny bej'it."

The two slowly circled one another; each throwing growls, hisses and pheromones at each other.

Suddenly in a flash of movement the larger female swept forward and grappled Kjuhte. The two locked arms and fought to find the upper hand. Kjuhte knew she could never overpower the huntress.

**I will need speed and cunning.**

She would need to call on all that her sire had taught her. Lei'Tuk, like many of the males of their clan, wasn't born with the massive size and strength of many of the other clans. The males of Lar'ja Ju'dha were known for their impressive speed and agility. They trained to exploit their environments and any situation to their advantage. With speed and cunning they could bring down any prey or hostile target.

Drawing a lungful of breath Kjuhte braced for her chance. It came when Vesh-ka loosened her grip a fraction. With a heave Kjuhte shoved forward on the big huntress knocking her off balance. Taking a running jump Kjuhte sprang up to cling to the wall of one of the stone structures in the market. Using tricks she had learned from kiande amedha she began her assault. Skittering from building to building using her clawed feet and talons she would jump in to launch a series of attacks before jumping out of reach of the angry Vesh-ka.

"Fight me on flat ground coward." She howled.

Kjuhte huffed and launched another attack. "So you can use your trickery or have one of your "sisters" ambush me while my back is turned."

Kjuhte's blood sang, she had the upper hand and would exploit it to finally put this pauk-de bej'it in her place.

**I will break her…until she begs for mercy!**

Her thoughts came crashing down around her. As she moved into position for another strike she felt her legs suddenly become tangled. The inertia of her jump carried her into the next building. The impact knocked the wind from her and caused her vision to sparkle, the fall from the air that followed dumped her into a market stall across from the communal drinking hall. She could taste blood in her mouth and the loud crunch she heard when she fell told her that she had just broken her arm. Her feet had been snagged by a set of bolos!

**Her flunkies…bah!**

They had ambushed her anyway.

"Well well little bird. How far you have fallen." The bleeding and angry Vesh-ka blocked out the light of the suns with her massive frame. With a single heave Kjuthe was lifted into the air by her throat. Her breathing became strained as she struggled to suck in air.

**Matthew would be very angry with me. All of my wounds had finally healed.**

A light went off in Kjuhte's brain….Matthew!

She suddenly remembered the grappling match. The strikes he had inflicted had been most effective.

Time was short as her airway squeezed shut further. She would have to act fast. With the last of her strength Kjuhte lashed out delivering a vicious strike to the Vesh-ka's arm pit. The strike numbed the assaulting females arm and allowed Kjuhte a moment to breathe before she struck again. This time clapping her hands onto the sensitive ear holes.

Vesh-ka bellowed in pain and dropped Kjuhte gracelessly to the ground. Sweeping her leg Kjuhte caught the huntress and brought her to the ground. With a final effort she clambered atop her and drew her wrist blade.

"You will die her today Vesh-ka." She hissed. The prone huntress looked up in total fear as she realized what was about to happen.

"ENOUGH!"

Silence filled the market like an heavy blanket. Looking up slowly Kjuhte focused on a voice she hadn't heard in many seasons.

**C'jit!**

The high matron herself stood in the center of the parted crowd, her blood sister stood beside her…and Gahn'tha-cte did not look pleased with her offspring at the moment.

**My bearer will kill me for this!**

**AN**: I am sorry for the poor grammar. I worked like crazy to get this out. Let me know what you think thus far.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: **Uh-oh. K done gone and got herself in trouble. Just for information sake K's mom happens to be from the same clan as the High Matron a.k.a. the high priestess and is also of her bloodline. So they are sisters by blood. I hope you are all enjoying it so far…but get ready 'cuz it's about to hit the fan. Mat will be handling some business soon as well.

**Chapter 11 You Can't Choose Your Relatives  
**

"Of all of the hulij-bpe c'jit you could have been doing!" Gahn'tha-cte bellowed. "Why?...why in the name of Paya would you get into a petty street brawl?...In full view of council members and the high matron none the less!" the great huntress sighed heavily. "You promised me that this…this feud was no more with that waste of genetics."

Kjuhte and Sha-shui sat naked and utterly defeated. When their bearer was angry she didn't beat them or lash out with verbal insults…no what she did was far worse…she bathed them.

Like they were tiny pups incapable of doing anything on their own; she would scrub them raw and chide them for acting like they were newborns. Then she would choose their clothing and feed them. It was far worse than death as far as all of the offspring were concerned.

"Bearer we tried!" Sha-shui whined. "We were leaveing…we were not going to fight!"

"Bah! Then why was I just scraping you from the path? Why am I patching your wounds and paying the owners of several stalls for the damaged goods?" Gahn'tha-cte responded; her voice a sheet of ice.

"It was my doing my bearer."

The matron glared at Kjuhte. "I thought as much. Why? You are not one to bend to their childish behavior…WHY?!" she barked when there was no forthcoming answer.

Kjuhte stood rapidly; the water splashing her bearer.

"I can tolerate their disdain of me." Drawing a breath she tried to find how to form the response. "But I will not accept a blind unprovoked attack on my sister."

"That is not reason enough to embarrass yourselves in front of our people…to embarrass…" Gahn'tha-cte clicked her mandibles shut at what she had almost said; she had let her frustration get the better of her.

"To embarrass you my bearer." Kjuhte's eyes narrowed and her locks began to crest dangerously. "It is because of you that I wanted to kill that bej'it!" Kjuhte's anger boiled to the surface and as if on their own her feet took her to stand at her bearers feet. She knew that she was playing fire but she had had enough.

"I am fully aware of the shame that my existence brings…to the clan…to my blood…to you." she snarled.

Gahn'tha-cte flinched as if she had been struck. But her offspring was not done yet.

"I know that I should have been killed at birth or sent to be eta. It is because of that knowledge that I struck… I accepted their insults of me and I could even deal with them striking at Sha-shui." She glanced at her sister apologetically. "But when that…waste of genetic material blatantly insulted you…intentionally questioned my sire's honor…insulted my clan…no my bearer. I would stand there and bring even more shame on the clan…on you." Kjuhte was breathing so hard her chest heaved. Turning away from her mother she stalked towards the entrance. "I will return to the clan ship. I will she you at the festival my bearer." With that the fuming huntress left the silent room.

* * *

"She is your offspring!" Gahn'tha-cte growled "She gets that stubborn disrespect from you!"

Lei'Tuk chuckled and rubbed the palm of his hand up his mates bare thigh. When his female was this angry she punished them all differently; with the offspring she acted like an over bearing mother. With him…well she mated him without any mercy. They lay in their quarters naked and shining with sweat. Having just finished their eighth rut even the giant of a female needed to rest. That is when she told her mate of what had transpired during the cycle.

Lei'Tuk purred softly and nuzzled under her jaw. "Half of her belongs to you my thar'n-dha."

"Her strength is yours…her beauty…her unbridled temper. UGH!" his words were cut short by a solid elbow in his ribs.

Gahn'tha-cte rolled over onto him. With a heavy purr she took his now very hard member deep into her molten center. Her body shivered at the sheer pleasure of taking him. There were definite perks to having a life mate. Having him whenever she pleased was on the top of that list.

"I hold no shame of any of our offspring…least of all Kjuhte." Her breath began to hitch as she rode her male…her mate. "But for now…I think I wish to make another."

"Whatever you wish; I shall give." Lei'Tuk growled rolling her over onto her back.

He would speak with his offspring the next cycle.

* * *

**Too many yautja in one place as far as I am concerned.**

Kjuhte's mood had not improved any. After leaving the planet and returning to the clan ship she had stormed through her quarters like a cyclone. Pacing back and forth; anything that she came in contact with she had destroyed. The next cycle found her exhausted and still seething within her obliterated home. Her sire visited her and tried to calm the situation but she was a stubborn female and refused to budge on her side of the story.

She found herself wishing she was back on the blue planet. There she at least was not stared at and mocked. She found her thoughts drifting to Matthew; in truth she hadn't thought much of the ooman since she had returned to the clan. Now she felt a little guilt at having forgotten about the male so quickly.

**He never passed judgment on me nor did he view me as an u'darahje!**

Now she sat with her blood at the table of the High Matron. Her bearer had informed them all of her sister's invitation as they prepared themselves that early cycle. Here they sat amongst some the most influential yautja to walk the stars and Kjuhte hated it! The festival had started first with the trials of the unblooded who had come to be recognized for their right to chiva. Now there was music and foods brought from all corners of the vast territories.

Kjhute found she would rather be sitting across from the grouchy male ooman eating some of his bizarre foods instead.

** I was truly fond of the meal he called Spah…get…ii**

A strange dish with long strings of dough he called noodles and a rich flavorful red sauce.

**Oh and the meat…balls…that was truly a treat.**

She chuckled at her thoughts of the male. She would have to go see him when all of this was over she decided.

"I am gladdened by your change of mood offspring." Her chuckle died at the realization that her bearer had been watching her.

With a sigh the huntress decided to make amends with her family. "I wish to apologize for my actions the previous cycle my bearer. I should have never been that disrespectful to you my honorable bearer and sire." She replied her head bowed to both of her parents.

Gahn'tha-cte leaned toward her offspring and gripped her shoulder.

"I feel no shame for the choices that I have made in my life span Kjhute; least of all my offspring. You have all achieved more than I could pray to Paya for." The honorable female looked around the table at all seven of her offspring. "I would proudly challenge any who would say that my offspring are not of Paya's best…I would gladly rip them limb from limb as well." her gaze settling on Vesh-ka.

The large huntress had joined the table with her sire an esteemed arbitrator of the R'ka- Thwei clan. "I make this promise to you huntress. If I ever find you sneaking behind to strike either of my daughters again you will beg your sire to take his seed back!"

"I assure you honorable elite Gahn'tha-cte. My offspring will truly regret her actions!" the no very small looking huntress's sire responded.

"I must admit that would be a fight to witness." A deep and powerful voice cut through the tense conversation.

The table buzzed with activity as all present jumped to their feet…The High Matron had joined the group.

* * *

The high matron had to be one of the largest females Kjuhte had ever seen. Even seated at her place at the large table the matriarch towered over all present. She was the purest of yautja female strength and grace. Though her age had begun to show slightly she was still considered to be one of the most attractive of females. Her strength showed with every ripple of her muscular body, her slightly greyed locks were adorned with so many bands of honor that Kjuhte wondered how she didn't have headaches. The young huntress was in awe of her aunt every time she was in her presence.

Seating herself at the head of table the high matron signaled all to be seated.

"As I said I would find that match to be most interesting." The matron continued.

Gesturing to Vesh-ka "If you find her presence to be such an insult perhaps we should settle this matter in a spar…once and for all." The matron let her tone turn icy. "Winner lives." She almost whispered.

Vesh-ka paled at the threat.

"I do not feel that is needed high matron." Gahn'tha-cte answered.

"Good then I shouldn't hear of this foolishness again should I?" the matron's eyes moved from one young huntress to the other.

"No High Matron." The two echoed.

"Now that it is settled let us eat and enjoy the blessing of each other this cycle." The high matron stated cheerily.

Turning to Gahn'tha-cte the matron began inquiring about her sister's family and clan. Several eta began to load the table with meats, fruit, nuts and other fine foods brought from all corners of the vast territories. The table began to hum as the groups conversed and ate.

Taking it all in Kjuhte once again found her mind wondering to the blue planet.

**I wonder what he is having for a meal this cycle? **

After what felt like an eternity the feasting and conversation wound to an end. The cycle was late and the multiple suns had begun to set over the vast jungles that surrounded the city. Kjuhte began planning her escape for the remainder of cycle as the table slowly emptied. She had just worked up the courage to ask to be excused when the high matron interrupted her thoughts.

"Sister it would please me greatly if you and your offspring would walk with me to the temple. I would like to hear of the blue planet and the bad bloods."

Gahn'tha-cte glanced at her offspring before answering.

"Of course high matron. It would be an honor."

**c'jit**

* * *

**AN**: I am so sorry that I have slowed down so much. I have had to take on three jobs and well that doesn't leave me much time for writing. Please don't give up on me. I will keep writing I promise. I have the next few chapters together sort of. S you won't wait long. Please keep me in your thoughts and reviews. Stay tuned for Mat!


	12. Chapter 12

Hello all. I just wanted to give a quick update. No I'm not giving the story up. I hope to post 12 tomorrow. Life is constantly getting my way. *sigh* stupid bills! Anwanted other to hear from you somewhilst I work. Let me know what you think so far and any questions you might have. Reviews from you letmeknow your still interested ( which I hope you are!) let me know and see you soon !

Love

Detchie


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